Men of mark : eminent, progressive and rising

Robert W. Woodruff
Library

Special Collections

EMORY UNIVERSITY

ill

iiiijHB'ilt

'

WM. J. SIMMONS.

MEN OF MARK:

Eminent, Progressive and Rising.

BY REV WILLIAM J SIMMONS, D. D.,
President of the State University, Louisville, Kentucky.

WITH AN INTRODUCTORY SKETCH OF THE AUTHOR BY REV. HENRY M.
TURNER, D. D., LL. D., BISHOP A. M. E. CHURCH.

Illustrates.

CLEVELAND, OHIO :
GEO. M. REWELL & CO.

1887.'

COPYRIGHT
GEO. M. REWELL & CO.

1887.

PRESS OF W. W. WILLIAMS, CLEVELAND, O.

MURRAY & HEISS, ENGRAVERS.

THIS BOOK IS SOLD EXCLUSIVELY BY SUBSCRIPTION, AND IS NOT
FOR SALE IN BOOK STORES.

THIS VOLUME IS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED

TO

THE WOMEN OF OUR RACE,

AND

ESPECIALLY TO THE DEVOTED, SELF-SACRIFICING

MOTHERS

WHO MOULDED THE LIVES OF THE SUBJECTS

OF THESE SKETCHES, LABORING AND PRAYING

FOR THEnt SUCCESS. IT IS SENT FORTH WITH

THE EARNEST HOPE THAT FUTURE MOTHERS

WILL BE INSPIRED TO GIVE SPECIAL ATTENTION

TO THE TRAINING OF THEIR CHILDREN, AND

THEREBY FIT THEM FOR HONORABLE, HAPPY

AND USEFUL LIVES.

THE AUTHOR.

PRE FACE.

TO presume to multiply books in this day of excellent
writers and learned book-makers is a rash thing per-
haps for a novice. It may even be a presumption that shall
be met by the production itself being driven from the market
by the keen, searching criticism of not only the reviewers,
but less noted objectors. And yet there are books that
meet a ready sale because they seem like " Ishmaelites "—
against everybody and everybody against them. Whether
this work shall ever accomplish the design of the author
may not at all be determined by its sale. While I hope to
secure some pecuniary gain that I may accompany it with
a companion illustrating what our women have done, yet
by no means do I send it forth with the sordid idea of
gain. I would rather it would do some good than make
a single dollar, and I echo the wish of " Abou Ben Adhein,"
in that sweet poem of that name, written by Leigh Hunt.
The angel was writing at the table, in his vision,

The names of those who love the Lord.

Abou wanted to know if his was there— and the angel said
"No." Said Abou,

I pray thee, then, write me as one that loves his fellow-men.

6 PREFACE.

That is what I ask to be recorded of me.

The angel wrote and vanished. The next night

It came again, with a great awakening light,

And showed the names whom love of God had blessed.

And lo ! Ben Adhem's name led all the rest.

I desire that the book shall be a help to students, male
and female, in the way of information concerning our
great names.

I have noticed in my long experience as a teacher, that
many of my students were wofully ignorant of the work
of our great colored men— even ignorant of their names.
If they knew their names, it was some indefinable some-
thing they had done— just what, they could not tell. If in
a slight degree I shall here furnish the data for that class
of rising men and women, I shall feel much pleased. Here-
in will be found many who had severe trials in making
their way through schools of different grades. It is a
suitable book, it is hoped, to be put into the hands of intel-
ligent, aspiring young people everywhere, that they might
see the means and manners of men's elevation, and by this
be led to undertake the task of going through high schools
and colleges. If the persons herein mentioned could rise
to the exalted stations which they have and do now hold,
what is there to prevent any young man or woman from
achieving greatness? Many, yea, nearly all these came
from the loins of slave fathers, and were the babes of
women in bondage, and themselves felt the leaden hand of
slavery on their own bodies ; but whether slaves or not,
they suffered with their brethren because of color. That
"sum of human villainies" did not crush out the life and

PREFACE. 7

manhood of the race. I wish the book to show to the
world — to our oppressors and even our friends — that the
Negro race is still alive, and must possess more intellectual
vigor than any other section of the human family, or else
how could they be crushed as slaves in all these years since
1620, and yet to-day stand side by side with the best
blood in America, in white institutions, grappling with
abstruse problems in Euclid and difficult classics, and mas-
ter them ? Was ever such a thing seen in another people ?
Whence these lawyers, doctors, authors, editors, divines,
lecturers, linguists, scientists, college presidents and such,
in one quarter of a century ?

Another thing I would have them notice, that the spirit-
uality of this race was not diminished in slavery. While in
bondage, it may have been somewhat objectionable, as seen
in the practices of our race, it must be remembered that
they copied much from their owners — they never descended
to the level of brutes, and were kind, loving and faithful.
They patiently waited till God broke their chains. There
was more statesmanship in the Negro slaves than in their
masters. Thousands firmly believed they would live to be
free, but their masters could not be persuaded to volunta-
rily accept pay from the government, and thus save the
loss they afterwards bore through the "Emancipation."
They went to war and fought "the God of battles," but
the slaves waited, humbly feeding the wives and children
of those who went to battle to rivet their chains. To my
mind, one of the most sublime points in our history is
right here. We never harmed one of these helpless women
and children — they testified of that themselves. And yet

8 PREFACE.

they tell stale lies of ravishing now, when the war is over,
and freedom gained, and when the men are all home.
No, God has permitted us to triumph and through Him. He
implanted in us a vigorous spiritual tree, and since free-
dom, how has this been growing? Untrammelled, we
have, out of our ignorance and penury, built thousands of
churches, started thousands of schools, educated millions
of children, supported thousands of ministers of the Gos-
pel, organized societies for the care of the sick and the
burying of the dead. This spirituality and love of off-
spring are indubitable evidences that slavery, though long
and protracted, met in our race a vigorous, vital, God-like
spirituality, which like the palm tree flourishes and climbs
upward through opposition.

Again, I admire these men. I have faith in my people.
I wish to exalt them ; I want their lives snatched from ob-
scurity to become household matter for conversation. I
have made copious extracts from their speeches, sermons,
addresses, correspondence and other writings, for the pur-
pose of showing their skill in handling the English lan-
guage, and to show the range of the thoughts of the
American Negro. I wish also to furnish specimens of Negro
eloquence, that young men might find them handy for
declamations and apt quotations. It was hard to draw
the line in making many selections, and I do not claim
that a better selection might not be made. Indeed I am
aware that many are entitled to a place here, and the
reader may think I did wrong in selecting some of my sub-
jects ; but I ask no pardon for the names I present. They
may be the judgment of a faulty brain, and yet there is

PREFACE.

much to admire in all. The extent of our country makes
it impossible to secure all who may be "eminent, progres-
sive and rising." I trust I have presented a representative
of many classes of those who labor. The book may there-
fore be a suggestion for some one to do better.

The illustrations are many, and have been presented so
that the reader may see the characters face to face. This
writing has been a labor of love, a real pleasure. I feel
better for the good words I have said of these gentlemen.
There is no great literary attempt made. I have not tried
to play the part of a scholar, but a narrator of facts with
here and there a line of eulogy. The book is full ; and has
already passed the limit of first intentions. I am in debt
to many gentlemen for their kindness — especially to Rev.
Alexander Crummell, D. D., for the use of books; Hon.
James M. Trotter for the loan of cuts taken from his work
'Music and Some Highly Musical People;' Rev R. De
Baptiste for assistance in securing sketches; Rev- B. W.
Arnett, D. D., loan of books; Hon. John H. Smythe for
assistance in sketches and pictures of E. W Blyden and
President W W Johnson ; General T Morris Chester, for
picture of Ira Aldridge and facts on his life; Professor W.
S.Scarborough for many kind helps; Rev. J. H. Greene, for
cut of Augustus Tolton and facts in his life ; William C.
Chase, John W Cromwell, T. McCants Stewart, Hon. D.
A. Straker, Marshall W Taylor, D. D.,Hon.P B.S. Pinch-
back, Hon. H. 0. Wagoner, Rev Rufus L. Perry and many
others, and pre-eminently do I feel grateful to Bishop H. M.
Turner, my distinguished friend, who trusts his own good
name by associating it with this poor effort. May God

10 PREFACE.

bless him for this kind act to a beginner in book-making.

This book goes out on the wing of a prayer that it will

do great good.

William J. Simmons.

May, 1887

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER I. PAGE

Hon, Frederick Douglass, LL. D.
Magnetic Orator — Anti-Slavery Editor — Marshal of the District of
Columbia — First Citizen of America— Eminent Patriot and Dis-
tinguished Republican 65

CHAPTER II.

Rev. W. B. Derrick, D. D.
Minister of the A. M. E. Church— Pulpit Orator 88

CHAPTER III.

Philip H. Murry, Esq.
Phrenologist— Editor— Philosopher 97

CHAPTER IV.

Crispus Attucks.
First Martyr of the Revolutionary War— A Negro whose Blood

was given for Liberty— Blood the Price of Liberty 103

CHAPTER V.

Granville T. Woods, Esq.
Electrician— Mechanical Engineer— Manufacturer of Telephones,

Telegraph and Electrical Instruments 107

12 CONTENTS.

CHAPTER VI. PAGE

Hon. Jeremiah A. Brown.
Legislator— Carpenter and Joiner— Clerk— Duputy Sheriff— Turn-
key— Letter Carrier H3

CHAPTER VII.

William Calvin Chase, Esq.
Editor of the Washington Bee— A Vigorous and Antagonistic

Writer— Politician— Agitator 118

CHAPTER VIII.

Rev. James W. Hood, D. D.
Bishop of the A. M. E. Zion Church— Church Organizer and Builder
—Assistant Superintendent of Public Instruction— His many
Contests for Civil Rights on Steamboats and Cars 133

CHAPTER IX.

Hon. Samuel R. Lowery.
Silk Culturist— Lawyer— Editor 144

CHAPTER X.
William Still, Esq.
Philanthropist— Coal Dealer— Twenty Years Owner of the largest

Public Hall Owned by a Colored Man— Author 149

CHAPTER XI.

Professor J. W. Morris, A. B., A. M., LL. B.
President of Allen University, Columbia, S. C— Professor of Lan-
guages 162

CHAPTER XII. ,
Hon. Robert Smalls.
Congressman— Pilot and Captain of the Steamer "Planter." 165

CHAPTER XIII.
Henry Ossawa Tanner.
A. Rising Artist— Exhibitor of Paintings in the Art Galleries— Illus-
trator of Magazines 180

CONTENTS. 13

CHAPTER XIV. page

Rev. Andrew Heath.
A Minister of the Gospel, Eminent for his Piety 185

CHAPTER XV.
H. C. Smith, Esq.
Prominent Editor— First-Class Musician— Deputy Oil Inspector of
Ohio — Song Writer — Leader of Bands — Cornetist 194

CHAPTER XVI.

Rev. John Bunyan Reeve, A. B., D. D.
Distinguished Presbyterian Divine — Professor of Howard Univer-
sity Theological Department....: 199

CHAPTER XVII.

Thomas J. Bowers, Esq.

The American " Mario "—Tenor Vocalist 202

CHAPTER XVIII.

Rev. Nicholas Franklin Roberts, A. B., A. M.
Professor of Mathematics— President of the Baptist State Conven-
tion of North Carolina — Moderator of One Hundred Thousand
Baptists 205

CHAPTER XIX.

Hon. Theophile T. Allain.
State Senator of Louisiana — Agitator of Educational Measures
and Internal Improvement — Contractor for Repairing Levees... 208

CHAPTER XX.

Denmark Veazie.

"Black John Brown "—Martyr 231

CHAPTER XXI.
Professor J. E. Jones, A. B., A. M.
Professor of Homiletics and Greek in the Theological Seminary,
Richmond, Va. — Corresponding Secretary of the Baptist
Foreign Mission Convention 234

14 CONTENTS.

CHAPTER XXII. PAGE

John Wesley Terry, Esq.
Foreman of the Ironing and Fitting Department of the Chicago
West Division Street Car Company — Director and Treasurer of
the Chicago Co-operative Packing and Provision Company —
Director of the Central Park Building and Loan Association 240

CHAPTER XXIII.

William E. Matthews, LL. B.
Broker— Real Estate Agent — Financier and Lawyer 246

CHAPTER XXIV

Rev. James Alfred Dunn Podd.

Superintendent of Schools— Editor— Brilliant Pastor 252

CHAPTER XXV.

Hon. Henry Wilkins Chandler, A. B., A. M.
Member of the State Senate, Florida — Capitalist — Lawyer— City

Clerk and Alderman 257

CHAPTER XXVI.

Rev. Theodore Doughty Miller, D. D.
The Eloquent Pastor of Cherry Street Baptist Church, Philadel-
phia, Pa.— A Veteran Divine Distinguished For Long Service 260

CHAPTER XXVII.
J. D. Baltimore, Esq.
Chief Engineer and Mechanician at the Freedmen's Hospital— En-
gineer—Machinist— Inventor 267

CHAPTER XXVIII.

J. R. Clifford, Esq.

Editor— Lawyer— Teacher— Orator 273

CHAPTER XXIX.
Wiley Jones, Esq.
The Owner of a Street Car Railroad, a Race Track and a Park— A

Capitalist Worth $125,000 278

CONTENTS. 15

CHAPTER XXX. page

Professor John H. Burrus, A. B., A. M.
President of Alcorn University — Professor of Mental and Moral
Philosophy and Constitutional Law — Teacher of Political
Economy, Literature and Chemistry — Attorney at Law 281

CHAPTER XXXI.
Henry F. Williams, Esq.
Composer — Violinist and Cornetist — Band Instructor 288

CHAPTER XXXII.
Rev. Edmund Kelly.
Christian Letter-Writer — Lecturer and Author 291

CHAPTER XXXIII.
Rev. Preston Taylor.
Pastor of the Church of the Disciples, Nashville, Tennessee — General

Financial Agent of the College — Big Contractor 296

CHAPTER XXXIV.
Solomon G. Brown.
Distinguished Scientist — Lecturer— Chief Clerk of the Transporta-
tion Department of the Smithsonian Institute, Washington,
D. C. — Entomologist — Taxidermist — Lecturer on " Insects" and
"Geology." 302

CHAPTER XXXV.
John Mitchell, Jr.
The Gamest Negro Editor on the Continent — A Man of Grit and
Iron Nerve — A Natural Born Artist 314

CHAPTER XXXVI.
Rev. London Ferrill.
Pastor of a Church Incorporated by a State Legislature — An Old
Time Preacher — Hired by Town Trustees to Preach to Colored
People 321

16 CONTENTS.

CHAPTER XXXVII.

PAGE

Professor Richard Theodore Greener, A. B., LL. B., LL. D.
Chief Civil Service Examiner — Lawyer — Metaphysician, Logician
and Orator — Prize Essayist — Dean of the Law Department of
Howard University 327

CHAPTER XXXVIII.
Captain Paul Cuffee.
Sea Captain— Wealthy Ship Owner — Petitions to the Massachusetts
Legislature against "Taxation without Representation"
Petition Granted 336.

CHAPTER XXXIX.

Rev. Alexander Walters.
Financier and Pulpit Orator 340

CHAPTER XL.

Benjamin Banneker.

Astronomer— Philosopher— Inventor— Philanthropist 344

CHAPTER XLI.

Rev. Richard DeBaptiste, D. D.
Corresponding Secretary and Beloved Disciple 352

CHAPTER XLII.

Hon. George French Ecton.
Representative from the Third Senatorial District, Chicago— From
the Plowhandles to the Legislature— From the Capacity of a
Waiter to that of Legislator 358

CHAPTER XLIII.

Professor Newell Houston Ensley.
Professor of Rhetoric and Sciences— Hebraist— Musician 361

CHAPTER XLIV

Rev. Christopher H. Payne.
Preacher, Editor and Soliciting Agent 368

CONTENTS. 17

CHAPTER XLV. page

Professor Peter Humphries Clark, A. M.
Educator— Editor and Agitator 374

CHAPTER XLVI.
Justin Holland, Esq.
Musical Author and Arranger— PerformeV on the Guitar, Flute and

the Piano Forte 384

CHAPTER XLVII.
Professor William Hooper Council.
President State Normal and Industrial School, Huntsville, Alabama

— Editor and Lawyer 390

CHAPTER XLVIII.
Rev. James Poindexter, D. D.
Advocate of Human Rights— Minister of the Gospel and Agitator-
Director of the Bureau of Forestry— Member of the Board of
Education of theCity of Columbus, Ohio 394

CHAPTER XL1X.
Richard Mason Hancock, Esq.
Foreman of the Pattern Shops of the Eagle Works Manufacturing
Company, Chicago, Illinois— Mathematician, Draughtsman,
Carpenter— Foreman of the Liberty Iron Works Pattern Shops.. 4-05

CHAPTER L.
Professor W S. Scarborough, A. B., A. M., LL. D.
Author of a Greek Text Book— Scientist— Lecturer— Scholar— Stu-
dent of Sanscrit, Zend, Gothicand Luthanian Languages 410

CHAPTER LI.
Rev. Solomon T. Clanton, Jr., A. B., B. D.
Instructor of Mathematics— Secretary of the American National
Baptist Convention— Agent of the American Baptist Publication
Society 419

18 CONTEXTS.

CHAPTER LII. pAGE

Prof. John O. Crosby, A. M., B. E.
Principal State Normal School, North Carolina 422

CHAPTER LIII.
Hon. Francis L. Cardoza.
Secretary of State — Treasurer of State — Professor of Languages —

Principal of the High School, Washington, D. C 428

CHAPTER LIV.
Hon. John S. Leary, LL. B.
Attorney at Law— Legislator— U. S. Deputy Collector 432

CHAPTER LV.
E. S. Porter, A. B., M. D.
Physician on the Sanitary Force of Louisville, Kentucky — Medical
Attendant at the Orphans' Home and the State University — Lec-
turer 436

CHAPTER LVI.
Rev. Augustus Tolton.
The first and only Native American Catholic Priest of African De-
scent, through both Parents, on the Continent 439

CHAPTER LVII.
William Wells Brown, Esq.

Author— Lecturer— Historian of the Negro Race— Foreign Traveler
— Medical Doctor 447

CHAPTER LVIII.

Prof. Walter F. Craig.

Solo Violinist — Orchestra Conductor 451

CHAPTER LIX.

Rev. Charles L. Purce, A. B.

President of Selma University, Selma, Alabama 454

CONTENTS. 19

CHAPTER LX. page

Alexander Dumas.
Distinguished French Negro — Dramatist and Novelist — Voluminous

Writer 457

CHAPTER LXI.

Rev. William Reuben Pettiford.

A Successful Pastor— Trustee of Selma University 460

CHAPTER LXII.
Hon. Robert B. Elliott.
Congressman — Eloquent Orator— Distinguished Disciple of Black-
stone 466

CHAPTER LXIII.

Professor Inman Edward Page, A. B., A. M.

Principal of Lincoln Institute — Oratorical Prize Winner at Brown

University, Providence, Rhode Island 474

CHAPTER LXIV.

Rev. E. K. Love.

From the Ditch to the Pastorate of 5000 Christians— Editor of the
Centennial Record of Georgia — Associate Editor — Honored of
God 481

CHAPTER LXV

J. A. Arneaux, Esq.

Professional Tragedian, "Black Booth" — Editor— Poet— Graduate
of two French Institutions of Learning 484

CHAPTER LXVI.

Rev. Richard Allen.

First Bishop of the A. M. E. Church — An Eminent Preacher — A
Devout Man 491

20 CONTENTS.

CHAPTER LXVII. page

Hon. Samuel Allen McElwee, A. B., LL. B.
Lawyer — Legislator — President of the Tennessee Fair Association

— Orator — Speech in the Legislature on Mobs 498

CHAPTER LXVIII.

Rev. Lott Carey.
First American Missionary to Africa 506

CHAPTER LXIX.

Hon. John Mercer Langston, A. B., A. M., LL. D.

Lawyer — Minister Resident and Consul-General — Charge de Affaires
— President of the Virginia Normal and Collegiate Institute —
Formerly Dean and Professor of Law in Howard University 510

CHAPTER LXX.

Rev. William H. McAlpine.
Baptist Divine — President of a College — Editor of a Weekly Journal. 524

CHAPTER LXXI.

Rev. Alexander Crummell, A. B., D. D.

Rector of St. Luke's Church, Washington, D. C — Professor of
Mental and Moral Science in the College of Liberia — Author 530

CHAPTER LXXII.
Hon. George H. White.

A Member of the House of Representatives and the Only Colored

State Solicitor and Prosecuting Attorney 536

CHAPTER LXXIII.
Hon. Josiah T. Settle, A. B., A. M., LL. B.

Eminent Lawyer— Assistant Attorney-General of Shelby County,

Tennessee — Eloquent Orator— Legislator 538

CONTENTS. 21

CHAPTER LXXIV. PAGE

William H. Gibson, Esq.

School Teacher in Slavery Days — Musician — Mail Agent — Revenue

Agent — Grand Master U. B. of Friendship 545

CHAPTER LXXV.
Hon. George W. Williams, LL.D.
The Most Eminent Negro Historian in the World— Author of
World Wide Reputation — Legislator— Judge-Advocate of the
Grand Army of the Republic — Novelist — Scholar— Magnetic Ora-
tor—Editor— Soldier— Preacher— Traveler— Minister to Hayti... 549

CHAPTER LXXVI.

Prop. William Eve Holmes, A. B., A. M.
Hebrew, German and French Scholar — Professor in the Atlanta

Baptist Seminary 567

CHAPTER LXXVII.
Rev. Randall Bartholomew Vandervall, D. D.
A Self-Made Man — A Graduate From the School of Adversity 57?

CHAPTER LXXVIII.
Rev. Elijah P. Marrs.
Preacher — Soldier — Treasurer 579

CHAPTER LXXIX.

Rev. Daniel Jones.

Presiding Elder of the M. E. Church— His Hair-breadth Escapes.... 583

CHAPTER LXXX.

Rev. Henry N. Jeter.
Baptist Preacher 58S

CHAPTER LXXXI.

Rev. J. T. White.

Divine— Editor— State Senator— Commissioner Public of Works 590

22 CONTENTS.

CHAPTER LXXXII. pAGE

Rev. G. W. Gayles.
The last Colored State Senator in the Mississippi Legislature-
Moderator of the State Convention— Member of the Board of
Police 594

CHAPTER LXXXIII.

Hon. Mifflin Wister Gibbs.
Attorney at Law — The first Colored Judge in the United States, and
an active Politician — An Advocate of Industrial Education —
Contractor and Builder 597

CHAPTER LXXXIV

William H. Steward, Esq.

Grand Master — Secretary — Business Manager — Letter Carrier 603

CHAPTER LXXXV.

Rev. Frank J. Grimke, A. B.
Learned and Eloquent Presbyterian Divine— Touching Memorial

on leaving Washington, D. C 608

CHAPTER LXXXVI.
Hon. Robert Harlan.
Legislator— A Fugitive from Prejudice — Resident in England Ten

Years 613

CHAPTER LXXXVII.
Dr. Anthony William Amo.
A Learned Negro— Student at Halle— Skilled in Latin and Greek-
Philosophical Lecturer— Received Doctorate from the University
of Wittenberg, and Counselor of State by the Count of Berlin.. 617

CHAPTER LXXXVIII.
Rev. Rufus L. Perry , Ph. D.

Editor— Ethnologist— Essayist— Logician — Profound Student of
Negro History— Scholar in the Greek, Latin and Hebrew Lan-
g"a&s 620

CONTENTS. 23

CHAPTER LXXXIX. pAGE

Rev. Bartlett Taylor.
Financier and Church Builder — Christian Pioneer 626

CHAPTER XC.

Professor James M. Gregory, A. B., A. M.
Dean of the College Department of Howard University— Linguist... 631

CHAPTER XCI.

Rev. Daniel Abraham Gaddie, D. D.
From the Blacksmith Shop to the Pulpit — Temperance Advocate —

Moderator of Fifty Thousand Baptists 647

CHAPTER XCII.

W. Q. Atwood, Esq.
Lumber Merchant and Capitalist— Orator—

651

CHAPTER XCIII.
Rev. Henry Highland Garnet, D. D.
Minister Resident of Liberia— Distinguished Minister of the Gospel,

and a Brilliant Orator 656

CHAPTER XCIV.
Rev. Leonard A. Grimes.
Imprisoned in Richmond, Virginia, for Assisting Fugitive Slaves

to Escape from Slavery— A Lovely Disciple (562

CHAPTER XCV.

Rev. James H. Holmes.

Pastor of a Flourishing Church in Richmond, Virginia 666

CHAPTER XCVI.

General T. Morris Chester.

©eneral— Phonographer and Type writer— Lawyer 671

CHAPTER XCVII.

Rev. Lemuel Haynes, A. M.

A Distinguished Theologian 677

24 CONTENTS.

CHAPTER XCVIII. PAGE

Hon. H. O. Wagoner.
Compositor— Deputy Sheriff— Clerk of the Legislature 679

CHAPTER XCIX.

Rev. Marcus Dale.

Shrewd Financier and General Manager— Business Capacity Shown. 685

CHAPTER C.
Charles B. Purvis, A. M., M. D.
Secretary and Treasurer — Professor of Obstetrics and Diseases of
Women and Children — Surgeon in Charge of Freedman's Hospi-
tal 690

CHAPTER CI.

Professor W. H. Crogman, A. B., A. M.

Professor of Classics in Clark University 694

CHAPTER CII.

Hon. Blanche K. Bruce.

United States Senator — Register of the United States Treasury 699

CHAPTER CIII.
J. Dallas Bowser, Esq.

Editor of the Gate City Press— Grain and Coal Merchant— Princi-
pal Lincoln School 704,

CHAPTER CIV
Rev. Jesse Freeman Boulden.
Member of the Lower House of the Legislature of Mississippi in Re-
construction Times— Agent of the American Baptist Publication
Society 707

CHAPTER CV.
Rev. William T. Dixon.
Veteran Pastor of Concord Baptist Church, Brooklyn, New York... 71g

CONTENTS. 25

CHAPTER CVI. page

Rev. Matthew Campbell.
One of God's Servants, Full of Years and Work for Christ— A Thirty

Years' Pastorate— Married 2000 Couples 719

CHAPTER CVII.
Rev. C. C. Vaughn.
State Grand Chief of I. 0. Good Samaritans and Daughters of Sa-
maria— Preacher and Teacher 723

CHAPTER CVIII.
Rev. Harvey Johnson.
Eminent Baltimore Pastor — Prominent in the Councils of his

Church 729

CHAPTER CIX.

Ira Aldridge.
The African Tragedian— The " African Roscius" 733

CHAPTER CX.
Hon. George L. Ruffin, LL. B.
Judge of the Charlestown District, Massachusetts — From the Bar-
ber's Chair to the Bench 740

CHAPTER CXI.

Professor D. Augustus Straker, LL. B., LL. D.

Dean of Law Department — Lawyer — Orator and Stenographer 744

CHAPTER CXII.

Rev. John Hudson Rdddick.

Preacher— Councilman— Deputy Marshal 752

CHAPTER CXIII.
Rev. J. C. Price, A. B.
President Livingstone College— Great Temperance Orator 754

26 CONTENTS.

CHAPTER CXIV page

Hon. Pinckney Benton Stewart Pinchback.
Governor — Lieutenant-Governor— United States Senator — Lawyer
— His Daring "Railroad Race "—Eminent Politician — Wealthy
Gentleman 759

CHAPTER CXV

Alexander Petion.
President of Hayti — Skillful Engineer — Educated at the Military

School of France 782

CHAPTER CXVI.

Timothy Thomas Fortune, Esq.

Editor— Author— Pamphleteer — Agitator 785

CHAPTER CXVII.

Troy Porter, Esq.

Plumber, Gas and Steam Fitter— Superintendent of Waterworks

and Town Clerk 792

CHAPTER CXVIII.

Blind Tom. (Thomas Bethune.)

A Remarkable Musician — The Negro Pianist 794

CHAPTER CXIX.

Rev. Henry Adams.
A Faithful Pastor— A Good Man 798

CHAPTER CXX.

J. C. Farley, Esq.

Photographer and Prominent Citizen of Richmond, Virginia 801

CHAPTER CXXI.
Rev. Henry McNeal Turner, D. D., LL. D.
Bishop of A. M. E. Church— Philosopher— Politician and Orator
—Eminent Lecturer— Author— Intense Race Man— United States
Chaplain g^-

CONTENTS. 27

CHAPTER CXXII. „,„„

rAGE

Rev. John W. Stephenson, M. D.
Church Builder— Financier— Druggist — His Methods 820

CHAPTER CXXIII.

Professor Joseph Carter Corbin, A. B., A. M.
State Superintendent of Public Instruction— Linguist— Master of
Latin, Greek, French, Spanish, Italian, German, Hebrew and
Danish — Profound Mathematician and Musician— Organist,
Pianist, Flutist 829

CHAPTER CXXIV.

Hon. James M. Trotter.
Recorder of Deeds — Author of Music and Some Highly Musical
People.' Assistant Superintendent of the Register Letter De-
partment, Boston, Massachusetts — Lieutenant in the Army 833

CHAPTER CXXV.

Rev. Allen Allensworth, A. M.
The Great Children's Preacher of the Gospel— Chaplain of the
Twenty-Fourth Infantry of the U. S. — Presidential Elector-
Agent of the American Baptist Publication Society 843

CHAPTER CXXVI.

Rev. George Washington Dupee.
Eminent Minister— Moderator of the General Association— Editor
—Preacher of 12000 Funeral Sermons— Baptizer of 8000 Can-
didates 847

CHAPTER CXXVII.

Samuel C. Watson, M. D.
Druggist— Doctor— Member of City Council— First Colored Clerk of

a Steamboat Owned by a Colored Man 860

CHAPTER CXXVIII.
Rt. Rev. Richard Harvey Cain, D. D.
Bishop of the A. M. E. Church— Congressman — Senator in the

South Carolina Legislature— President of Paul Quinn College... 866

28 CONTENTS.

CHAPTER CXXIX. PAGe

Hon. John H. Smythe, LL. B., LL. D.

United States Minister— Resident Minister— Consul-General to

872
Liberia— Attorney at Law ol

CHAPTER CXXX.
J. J. Durham, A. B., A. M., M. D.

Valedictorian in the Medical School— A Vigorous, Convincing De-

878
bater — Preacher

CHAPTER CXXXI.
Rev. Benjamin W Arnett, D. D.
Financial Secretary of the A. M. E. Church— The Statistician of his
Church— Author— Editor of the Budget— Legislator— Author of
the bill wiping out the "Black Laws" of Ohio 883

CHAPTER CXXXII.

Olandah Equiano, or Gustayus Vassa.
A Virginia Slave— Purchases His Freedom— Sails for London— Pre-
sents a Petition to the Queen 892

CHAPTER CXXXIII.

John W. Cromwell, Esq.
Editor— Distinguished English Scholar— Lawyer— President of the
Bethel Literary Society, Washington, D. C— Examiner and
Register of Money Order Accounts 898

CHAPTER CXXXIV
Rev. E. M. Brawley, D. D.
Editor Baptist Tribune — President of Selma University — Sunday

School Agent of South Carolina 908

CHAPTER CXXXV.

James W C. Pennington, D. D.

Able Presbyterian Divine— Greek, Latin and German Scholar 913

CONTENTS. 29

CHAPTER CXXXVI. PAGE
Hon. Edward Wilmot Blyden, LL. D.
Linguist — Oriental Scholar — Arabic Professor — Magazine Writer-
Minister Plenipotentiary — President of Liberia College 916

CHAPTER CXXXV1I.
Rev. B. F. Lee, D. D.

Editor of the Christian Recorder — President of Wilberforce Univer-
sity for Many Years 922

CHAPTER CXXXVIII.

Hon. J. J. Spelman.

State Senator — Temperance Orator— Eminent Baptist Layman 928

CHAPTER CXXXIX.

Rev. Marshall W. Taylor, D. D.
Editor of the Southwestern Advocate — Brilliant Writer 933

CHAPTER CXL.

Toussaint L'Ouverture.
The Negro Soldier, Statesman and Martyr 936

CHAPTER CXLI.
Hon. Hiram R. Revels.
United States Senator — A. M. E. Preacher— President of the Alcorn

University — Planter 948

CHAPTER CXLII.

Rev. Harrison N. Bouey.
Missionary to Africa — Agent American Baptist Publication Society

— District Secretary 951

CHAPTER CXLIII.
Colonel James Lewis.
Surveyor-General— Colonel of the Second Regiment State Militia-
Collector of the New Orleans Port— Naval Officer — Superintend*
ent of the United States Bonded Warehouses 954

30 CONTENTS.

CHAPTER CXLIV. page

Rev. E. H. Lipscombe, A. B..A./M.
President of the Western Union Institute— Professor of Rhetoric
and Moral Philosophy— Preacher— Editor of the Mountain
Gleaner 959

CHAPTER CXLV-

Hon. James C. Matthews.

Lawyer and Recorder of Deeds, Washington, D. C 964

CHAPTER CXLVI.
Professor William Howard Day, D.D.
Able and Forcible Orator— Practical Printer— Veteran Editor-
Philanthropist— Agitator— Progressive Race Man 978

CHAPTER CXLVII.

Rev. Benjamin Tucker Tanner, A. M., D. D.
Editor A. M. E. Review— Twenty Years an Editor— For Many
Years Editor of the Christian Recorder— Author of Ecclesias-
tical Works 985

CHAPTER CXLVIII.
Geoffrey L'Islet.
Correspondent of the French Academy of Sciences — Versed in the
Sciences of Botany, Natural Philosophy, Zoology and As-
tronomy 989

CHAPTER CXLIX.

R. C. O. Benjamin, Esq.

Lawyer— Author — Editor — Champion of the Race 991'

CHAPTER CL.

Hon. John J. Irvine.

Clerk of the Circuit Court of Chattanooga, Tennessee 995

CONTENTS. 31

CHAPTER CLI. PAGE

George T. Downing, Esq.
Aggressive Politician — An Intimate Friend of Charles Sumner — An
Old Time Warrior for Free Speech and Human Rights— A Man
of Pronounced Convictions 1003

CHAPTER CLII. .
Major Martin R. DeLaney, M. D.
Scientist — Ethnologist — Lecturer — Discoverer— Member of the In-
ternational Statistical Conference 1007

CHAPTER CLIII.
Rev. J. B. Fields.
An Able, Eloquent Baptist Divine — Popular Historian — Lecturer —
The Annihilator of Ingersollism 1016

CHAPTER CLIV.
Robert Pelham, Jr.
The Able Editor of the Detroit Plaindealer — A Vigorous Writer — An

Active Politician 1022

CHAPTER CLV.
Professor B. T. Washington.
Principal of the Tuskegee Normal School — A Successful Career —

A Wonderful Institution — Industrial Education 1027

CHAPTER CLVI.

Rev. J. P. Campbell, D. D., LL. D.

Bishop of the A. M. E. Church — The Theologian of the Denomi-
nation 1031

CHAPTER CLVII.

Nat. Turner.
Insurrectionist 1035

CHAPTER CLVIII.
Hon. Hilery Richard Wright Johnson.
President of Liberia — An Accomplished English and Classical

Scholar— A Master of German, French and Mathematics 1040

32 CONTENTS.

CHAPTER CLIX. page

Hon. John R. Lynch.

Prominent Politician— Orator —Lawyer — Congressman— Presided

at the National Republican Convention 1042

CHAPTER CLX.
Rev. P H. A. Braxton.
Pastor of the Calvary Baptist Church, Baltimore, Maryland-
Writer— Speaker 1046

CHAPTER CLXI.

Professor T. McCants Stewart, A. B., LL. B.
Attorney at Law — Professor and Author 1052

CHAPTER CLXII.

Hon. E. P McCabe.

Auditor of Kansas-County Clerk-Successful Politician 1055

CHAPTER CLXIII.
Rev. Charles Henry Parrish, A. B.
A Rising Young Man — From the Position of Janitor to the Secretary-
ship of a University 1059

CHAPTER CLXIV.

Rev. John Jasper.
"The Sun Do Move" 1064

CHAPTER CLXV
James E. J. Capitein.
A Negro Born in Africa— Taken to Europe— Educated in Holland-
Latin Poet 1073

CHAPTER CLXVI.
Rev. D. A. Payne, D. D., LL. D.
Senior Bishop of the A. M. E. Church— Educator and Author—

The Scholar of the Denomination 1078

CONTENTS. 33

CHAPTER CLXVII. pAGE

Rev. I. M. Burgan, B. D.
President of Paul Quinn College — Educator— Pioneer 1086

CHAPTER CLXVIII.
Rev. W. J. White.
Editor of the Georgia Baptist 1095

CHAPTER CLXIX.

Hon. Alexander Clark.

Eminent Mason — Lawyer — Editor 1097

CHAPTER CLXX.
Hon. John C. Dancy.
Editor of the Star of Zi on— Eminent Layman in the A. M. E. Zion

Church— Recorder of Deeds of Edgecombe Co-, North Carolina 1101

CHAPTER CLXXI.
Professor Charles L. Reason.
A Veteran New York School Teacher— European Traveler — One of

the Giants in Anti-Slavery Days 1105

CHAPTER CLXXII.
Rev. John M. Brown, D. D., D. C L.
An Active Bishop in the A. M. E. Church 1113

CHAPTER CLXXIII.
Professor David Abner, Jr.
A Rising Young Professor in Bishop College, Texas— Editor — Lec-
turer 1119

CHAPTER CLXXIV.
Rev. A. A. Whitman.

Author of a Book of Poems, entitled, 'Not a Man, and Yet a Man,'

with Miscellaneous Poems 1122

34 CONTENTS.

CHAPTER CLXXV.

E. M. Bannister, Esq. page

An Artist Photographer— The Gifted Painter of Providence, who

was Inspired to Paint Pictures by a Slur in the New York

1127
Herald Twenty Years Ago

CHAPTER CLXXVI.
Hon. C. C. Antoine.
Lieutenant-Governor of Louisiana-State Senator-Prominent Pol-
itician 1132

CHAPTER CLXXVII.
James Matthew Townsend, D. D.
Corresponding Secretary of the Parent Home and Foreign Mission-
ary Society of the A. M. E. Church-AMan of Perseverance and
Sound Judgment 113S

ILLUSTRATIONS.

1 W.J.Simmons

2 Frederick Douglass.l.

3 Henry M. Turner

4 W B. Derrick

5 G.T.Woods

6 Jere A. Brown

7 W. C. Chase

8 Samuel R. Lowery....

9 William Still

10 Robert Smalls

11 H.C.Smith

12 Thomas J. Bowers....

13 Theophile T. Allain..

14 J.E.Jones

15 W. E. Matthews

16 J. D. Baltimore

17 J. R. Clifford

18 WileyJones

19 J. H. Burrus

20 Henry P Williams....

21 Preston Taylor

22 John Mitchell, Jr

23 Richard T. Greener....

24 Alexander Walters....

25 Richard DeBaptiste...

36 ILLUSTRATIONS.

26 N. H. Ensley

27 Justin Holland

2S James Poindexter

29 W S.Scarborough

30 John O. Crosby

31 Francis L. Cardoza

32 JohnS. Leary

33 E. S. Porter

34 Augustus Tolton

35 Charles L. Puree

36 W. R. Pettiford

37 Inman E. Page

38 J. A. Arneaux

39 Samuel A. McElwee

40 John M. Langston

41 Alexander Crummell

42 J. T. Settle

43 George W. Williams

44 R. B. Vandervall

45 Daniel Jones .'.

46 H. N.Jeter

47 J. T. White

48 G. W. Gayles

49 M. W. Gibbs •.

50 W. H.Steward

51 Robert Harlan

52 Rufus L. Perry

53 James M. Gregorj'

54 Daniel A. Gaddie

55 W. Q. Atwood

56 Henry Highland Garnet

57 Leonard A.Grimes

58 H. 0. Wagoner

59 Charles B.Purvis

60 B. K. Bruce

61 Jesse F. Boulden

62 W T.Dixon

ILLUSTRATIONS. 37

63 Matthew Campbell

€4 C. C.Vaughn

65 Harvey Johnson

66 Ira Aldridge

67 D. Augustus Straker

68 J. C. Price

69 P. B. S. Pinchback

70 T. T. Fortune

71 Blind Tom hfc>

72 J. C. Farley

73 J. C. Corbin

74 James M. Trotter ^Sr.

75 Allen Allensworth

76 George W. Dupee

77 Richard H. Cain

78 John H. Smythe

79 B. W Arnett

80 Gustavus Vassa

81 JohnW. Cromwell

82 E. M. Brawley

83 E. W. Blyden

84 J. J. Spelman...:

85 Toussaint L ' Ouverture ,f\.

86 H. N. Bouey

87 James Lewis

88 J. C. Matthews

89 B. T. Tanner

90 John J. Irvine

91 Martin R. DeLaney

92 J. B. Fields

93 Robert Pelham, Jr

94 B. T. Washington.....^

95 J. P. Campbell

96 John R. Lynch

97 T. McCants Stewart

■98 E. P.McCabe

^9 Charles H. Parrish

38 ILLUSTRATIONS.

100 P H.A.Braxton

101 John Jasper.. ./a

102 D. A. Payne

103 I. M. Burgan

104 Alexander Clark

105 Charles L. Reason

106 David Abner, Jr

INTRODUCTION.

ACCOMPANIED BY A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF REV W. J.
SIMMONS, A.B., A.M., D. D.

IT is a historic fact that Virginia soil has been rife with
Presidents, but truly South Carolina has given to the
world more men of note than any other State in the Union.
In Charleston, South Carolina, June 29, 1849, Edward
and Esther Simmons, two slaves, added to their fortune
the subject of this sketch, who though born in poverty,
shrouded by obscurity, was destined to make for himself a
name honored among men. At an early period in his life,
interested parties hurried the mother with three small
children northward, without the protection of a husband
and father, to begin a long siege with poverty. When the
steamer landed at Philadelphia they were met by an uncle,
Alexander Tardiff, who left the south some time before.
This uncle, a shoemaker by trade, displayed the virtues of
a generous nature in caring for the mother, William, Erne-
line and Anna as well as he could, with prejudice to fight.
These were days of hardships and anxieties so keen for the
little family that even now the survivors speak of them
in hushed tones and with misty eyes. While in Philadel-

40 INTRODUCTION.

phia they were harassed by slave traders who seemed
determined to burrow them out of their hiding place. At
this time disease laid his hand upon them.

Disasters come not singly ;
But as if they watched and waited,

Scanning one another's motions.
When the first descends, the others

Follow, follow, gathering flock-wise
Round their victim, sick and wounded,

First a shadow, then a sorrow,
Till the air is dark with anguish.

Huddled together in the garret of the three-story brick
house where they lived, stricken with the small-pox, al-
most destitute of food, and fearing to call in medical
attendance lest by attracting attention they would be
carried back into slavery ; while death stared them in the
face, fugitive slave hunters rapped at the door of the front
room which the uncle used as a workshop. These beasts
inhuman flesh, after many inquiries and cross-questionings
were so misled by the shrewd uncle that they went away.
Shortly after, the uncle finding it impossible to earn a liv-
ing at his trade, decided to go to sea. The family was left
at Roxbury, Pennsylvania. Here for two years the faith-
ful mother toiled morning, noon and night, at washing
and other hard work to support the children and keep
them together. At the expiration of this time the uncle
returned and carried them to Chester, Pennsj'lvania, -where
he was able to do a good business; but the same old
trouble arose. The slave traders were on their track
again! The family was smuggled away to Philadelphia
and remained long enough for the uncle to secure employ-

INTRODUCTION. 41

ment, "by answering an advertisement inserted in the
papers by George and Arthur Stowell, Bordentown, New-
Jersey, for a journeyman shoemaker. At this place it was
a daily contest with poverty and a struggle for bread;
however, the children were kept together, and none were
ever hired out. During the entire boyhood of William, so
hard pressed were they because of sickness, dull seasons of
■work and other difficulties, that never a toy, so dear to
childhood, brightened his life ; and for days and weeks,
milk and mush was his only food. He never attended a
public school in his whole school life. The uncle having
attended school in Charleston under D. A. Payne, now
Bishop Payne of the A. M. E. Church, was a fair scholar
and undertook the education of *the children, laying a
foundation so broad and exact, that in after years college
studies for the boy were comparatively easy.

William was by no means a good "Sabbath-keeping-
boy" such as we read of in books. He gave considerable
trouble at home and abroad. In 1862 he was apprenticed
to Dr. Leo H. DeLange, a dentist in Bordentown, New Jer-
sey. So far as giving him necessary instruction, the doctor
was kind to him. William had learned so thoroughly all
there was to be learned in the profession, that when the
doctor was absent he was able to do a large part of the
-work. Though often rebuffed by white patients, he oper-
ated on some of the best families in the city He endeav-
ored to enter a dental college in Philadelphia, and was
refused largely on account of color. Unwilling to enter
the profession without a thorough knowledge, such as
could be given only in a training school, he decided to

4-2 INTRODUCTION.

abandon the profession, but remained with the doctor
until September 16, 1864, at which time, becoming dis-
gusted at the treatment received at the hands of the doc-
tor, he ran away and enlisted in the Forty-first United
States colored troops.

His army life was not uneventful ; he took part in bat-
tles around Petersburg, Hatches Run, Appomattox Court
House, and was present at the surrender of Lee, the crisis
out of which our own happier cycle of years has been
evolved. He was discharged September 13, 1865, and in
1866 and 1867 worked as journeyman at his trade for Dr.
William H. Longfellow, a colored dentist of Philadelphia,
after which he returned to Dr. DeLange.

He was converted in 1867 and joined the white Baptist
church in Bordentown, pastored by Rev J. W Custis, a
brilliant man, under whose influence about one hundred
and fifty had joined the church that spring.

Although the only colored man in the church, he was
treated with much kindness ; and when his call to the Gos-
pel ministry was made known, they rallied to his support,
defraying his school expenses three years. The New Jersey
State Educational Society aided him to attend Madison
University of New York, from which he graduated in
1868, taking the academic course. Both students and
teachers were his warm friends and are to-day The dark
skinned youth, though alone, never felt the sting of injus-
tice at their hands. September, 1868, found him matricu-
lated at Rochester University, having been led to make the
change by an offer of additional aid by laboring in a small
Baptist church in Rochester, and because there he found

INTRODUCTION. 43

colored people among whom he could associate and do
missionary work. At this early date we see cropping out
the love for the race which in after years became one of
the ruling passions of his life.

One pleasant year slipped by, and the freshman year
completed, when his eyes became seriously affected. The
trouble was brought on by continuous night study of
Greek during his academic year. This prevented school
attendance until the year 1871 when he entered Howard
University, Washington, District of Columbia, and gradu-
ated as an A. B. in 1873. His graduating oration treat-
ing of the Darwinian theory, a subject then very popular
in literary circles, attracted much attention and news-
paper comments. Extracts were printed in a paper in
England devoted to science and literature.

At many periods, his school life was a sequel to the days
of deprivation of childhood. Time and again he would be
forced to stay indoors while having his only shirt laun-
dried. Poor shoes and patched clothes were the rule, not
the exception. During his entire course he did not have a
whole suit until reaching the senior year. Once he ate
cheese and crackers three weeks. During the senior year,
September, 1872, to June, 1873, he walked seven miles a
day, and taught school ; came home and drilled the cadet
company from four to five; recited at night, and gradu-
ated with the salutatory of the class. That was a happy
day; by frugality he had saved three hundred dollars.
Commencement day for him ended many deprivations and
sacrifices in one sense. Both have come since, but of a dif-
ferent character and easier to bear. In the world one can

44 INTRODUCTION.

find means of replenishing his purse, and many opportuni-
ties of changing his circumstances ; but with a student it
is different. He must in a degree be stationary, and can-
not move around for the purpose of getting benefits.

During these years his mother lavished on him the devo-
tion and pride of a loving heart. She washed, ironed and
labored in other ways to help him. In this she was
greatly assisted by one Bunting Hankins and his devoted
wife of Bordentown, New Jersey, in whose family she
labored. General 0. 0. Howard, president of Howard
University, and General E. Whittlesey, dean of the college
department, showed him many kindnesses during and
after college days. While a student, he showed such apt-
ness to teach in conducting a school at a place called
Bunker's Hill, rebuilding it almost from nothing, that the
school-board promoted him to the principalship of a much
larger building, with several hundred scholars. This was
the Hillsdale Public school, District of Columbia. Here
he boarded in the house of Hon. Solomon G. Brown, one
of the ablest scientists in this country.

Immediately after graduating, he took Horace Greeley's
advice, and went west, to Arkansas, with the idea of
making it his home ; was examined and secured a State
certificate from the Honorable Superintendent of Educa-
tion, J C. Corbin, but soon returned to Washington and
taught at Hillsdale until June, 1874.

After marrying Josephine A., the daughter of John and
Caroline Silence, in Washington, District of Columbia,
August 25, 1874, he went south. By this union they
have had the following children : Josephine Lavinia,

INTRODUCTION. 45

William Johnson, Maud Marie, Amanda Moss, Mary
Beatrice, John Thomas and Gussie Lewis. Desiring to
better his financial condition he went to Florida, Septem-
ber, 1874, and invested in lands and oranges, but the in-
vestment did not prove a paying one. While in Ocala (in
1879) he was ordained a deacon, and was licensed to
preach without asking for it. Pastored at a small station
a year before ordination, after which time, he was or-
dained the night before leaving the State.

He was principal of Howard Academy, deputy county
clerk and county commissioner. Here, too, his political
tendencies received an impetus. He was chairman of the
county campaign committee, and a member of the district
congressional committee. Stumped the county for Hayes
and Wheeler, and when it is remembered that the State
went only 147 majority for Hayes, it is quite a mate-
rial thing that the county in which he lived raised its
quota from 525 Republican majority to 986. After this
he returned to Washington and taught public school until
1879, when he left to accept the pastorate of the First
Baptist church, Lexington, Kentucky. To do great work,
God raises up great men.

September, 1880, he was called to the presidency of the
Normal and Theological institution (as it was then
called), a school conducted under the auspices of the Gen-
eral Association of Colored Baptists of Kentucky. At that
time the school had but thirteen pupils, two teachers and
an empty treasury Says The Bowling Green Watchmen,
a State paper edited by Rev. Eugene Evans :

4(i INTRODUCTION.

Few men of Professor Simmons' ability and standing would have
been willing to risk their future in an enterprise like the Normal and
Theological Institution; an enterprise without capital and but a few
friends. But it can be truly said of Professor Simmons, that he has
proven himself master 01 the situation. The school had been talked of
for nearly twenty years* but no one ever dreamed of its being a possibil-
ity. When he was elected president, every cloud vanished, and the sun-
shine of success could be seen on every side. Some of his students already
rank among the foremost preachers, teachers and orators of the State.

As an educator, he has likely no superiors. Discarding
specialism in education, he claims that ideal manhood and
womanhood cannot be narrowed down to any one sphere
of action, but that the whole being — every faculty with
which we are endowed — must receive proper development.
No boy or girl comes under his influence -without feeling a
desire to become useful and great. He infuses inspiration
into the least ambitious. He has a knack of "drawing
out" all there is within. No flower within his reach
"wastes its sweetness on the desert air." If there are ele-
ments of usefulness in those around him, he trains and
utilizes them. As a president, his executive ability is excel-
lent. Students admire, respect and stand in awe of him ;
his teachers are proud of him, trust his judgment and
abide by his decisions. For poor students he has the ten-
derest sympathy, especially for those who most desire an
education and struggle hardest for it. He rewards those
who are faithful in discharge of duty, and for those who
accomplish something he has words of cheer, but for idlers
nothing.

September 29, i882, he was elected editor of the Ameri-
can Baptist, and at this time is President of the American

INTRODUCTION. 47

Baptist Company. As an editor, Dr. Simmons brings be-
fore the public every live issue of the day. His editorials
are racy, versatile and logical. He contends for rights
and cries down wrongs. He is extensively copied, and has
the personal respect of every editor and prominent man in
the country. A man of forcible character and deep con-
victions must reveal himself in his writings, and the sub-
ject of this article is such a man. His pen pictures are
characterized by a rugged strength which takes hold of the
reader and fixes the thought in memory more than by
elaboration and flourishes which soothe and please, but
pass from the mind as water through the seive. In regard
to the duty of colored citizens to existing parties he be-
lieves "that committed as both parties are to the pernic-
ious doctrine of State Rights, colored people should
pay less attention to national politics than to State
affairs." He says:

The days are slipping by and our children are growing into manhood
and womanhood — we are fast passing away. Shall we live deluded with
the hope that the general government will bring to us a panacea for all
our ills ? No ; we must court the favors of the people of the State. We
must be for progress wherever found. We must act wisely. Indeed the
Republican party could not, if it would, help us. They are debarred by
statutes, and sentiments, stronger than statutes. Let us study State in-
terests, its schools and its development in every direction. Let us cast
our votes for liberal men who will help us. We cannot expect those
against whom we vote to do so. Take Kentucky ; who has secured all
the school advantages for the colored race? Why, the colored people
themselves. The Republican party did not do it— not a bit of it. The
white men of the party and their children were all right. When did they
offer to make a special fight for us ? Never. When, then, did we secure a
change of the forty -eight per capita tax to an equalization of the tax for

48 INTRODUCTION.

all children alike ? By petition of our own and by favor of Democrats, even
when put to a popular vote, and by the act of a Democratic legislature-
Is it not queer, too, that we never thought to demand of our party that
they made the fight for us ? The answer is, the colored man is sifth a
slave to party that his blind obedience has befogged his reason so that he
has fought the white man's battles, secured office for him, and fought for
his own rights unaided in "Negro Conventions." White men would have
made a broad open fight and demanded the Negro votes. After the con-
vention was over the Negroes would petition the very legislature mem-
bers whom they had fought and voted against in every county. Negroes
attempt to do in convention what they ought to do with their votes,
and are driven to it by the policy of the Republican party in the South.
We should change this thing."

Dr. Simmons' activities are prominently identified with
the most important affairs of the race. Several years he
has been chairman of the executive committee of the
' ' State Convention, of Colored Men of Kentucky. ' ' At the
meeting in Lexington, November 26, 1875, he was re-
elected. The call of the said meeting, a document enumer-
ating in a few words the long catalogue of injustices prac-
ticed upon the colored citizens of the State, shows a high
degree of statesmanship. It begins thus :

Fellow-citizens: — When a free people, living in a body*politic, feel
that the laws are unjustly administered to them ; that discriminations
are openly made; that various subterfuges and legal technicalities are
constantly used to deprive them of the enjoyment of those rights and
immunities belonging to the humblest citizen ; when the courts become
no refuge for the outraged, and when a sentiment is not found sufficient
to do them justice, it becomes their bounden duty to protest against such
a state of affairs. To do less than vigorously and earnestly enter our pro-
test is to cringe like hounds before masters, and to show that we are
not fit for freedom. We are robbed by some of the railroad companies
who take our first-class fares and then we are driven into smoking cars
and, if we demur, are cursed and roughly handled. Our women have

INTRODUCTION. 49

been beaten by brutal brakemen, and in mam cases left tq ride on the
platforms at the risk of life and limb.

We are tried in courts controlled entirely by white men, and no col-
ored man sits on a Kentucky jury. This seems no mere accident, but a
determined effort to exclude us from fair trials and put us at the mercy
of our enemies, from the judge down to the vilest suborned witness.

When charged with grave offenses, the jail is mobbed, and the accused
taken out and hanged ; and out of the hundreds of such cases since the
war, not a single high-handed murderer has been ever brought before a
court to answer. Colored men have been deliberately murdered, and few
if any murderers have been punished by the law. Indecent haste to free
the criminal in such cases has made the trial a farce too ridiculous to be
called more than a puppet show.

The penitentiary is full of our race, who are sent there by wicked and
malicious persecutors, and unjust sentences dealt out by judges, who deem
a colored criminal fit only for the severest and longest sentences for trivial
offenses.

In all departments of the State we are systematically deprived of
recognition, except in menial positions. In our metropolitan city, and
even cities of lesser note, we are not considered in the appointments in
fire companies, police force, notary public, etc. In fact, we are the ruled
class and have no share in the government.

Dr. Simmons was chairman of the committee appointed
by the convention to lay before the Legislature the griev-
ances of the 271,481 colored citizens. His speech on this
occasion was a masterpiece. Says the Soldiers' Reunion,
a paper published at Lexington :

The speech of Rev. W. J. Simmons, D. D., before the Kentucky Legis-
lature, was one of the ablest efforts ever made in the interests of the col-
ored people. They (the Legislature) have ordered two thousand copies
printed.

Said he :

Only the history of the two races in our beautiful country could give
birth to such a scene as this. That we, born Americans, finding distinc-

50 INTRODUCTION.

tions in law, should be driven to appeal to a portion of the same body-
politic for rights and equalities; and though American sovereigns our-
selves, because too weak, bend the suppliant knee, craving that we might
be given that which appears rightly ours without contest. We feel some
pride, and are consequently jealous of the good name of the State and of
the United States. We also feel humiliated that a foreigner who has never
felled a tree, built a cabin, or laid a line of railway, seems more welcome
to this shore, and is accorded every facility for himself and children to make
the most of themselves, even before naturalization ; while we, seeing
them happy in a new-found as\'lum, and knowing you from our youth
up — our mothers washed your linen and nursed you, our fathers made
the soil feed you, and kept the fire burning in your grate — are com-
pelled to beg, in the zenith hour of 1886, your favors. Two generations
are before jrou ; the one born in the cradle of slavery, the other born in
the cradle of liberty; the one saw the light mid the discussions of your
fathers; the other mingled their infant's voice with the retreating sound
of the cannon. We belong to the South — the "New South." Your own
progress in the questions of human liberty and our owti thirst for
draughts from higher fountains, and, indeed, in obedience to the demands
of our constituents, we venture to lay before you in a manly, honorable
way, the complaints of 271,481 as true hearted Kentuckians as ever
came from the loin of the bravest, truest and most honored of women,
sired by the most distinguished fathers. As Kentuckians we meet you
with the feelings and aspirations, common and peculiar to those born-
and surrounded by the greatness of your history, the fertility of your soil,
the nobility of your men and the beauty of your women. Wecome, plain
of speech, in order to prove that we are men of judgment, meeting men
who are really desirous of knowing our wants.

At the meeting of the Colored Press convention in St.
Louis, Missouri, July 13, 1883, he was nominated for its
president, but was beaten by Hon. W A. Pledger of
Georgia by one vote. When said convention met in Rich-
mond, Virginia, July 8, 1885, he was made chairman of
the executive committee and at the next meeting, August
3, 1SSC), Atlantic City, New Jersey, he was elected presi-

INTRODUCTION. 51

dent by a majority of four over Mr. T T. Fortune, editor
of The Freeman.

Dr. Simmons is very much interested in the education of
the hand. He has written a pamphlet on "Industrial
Education" which has had a wide circulation. A sample
of it will be seen below.

If the industrial craze be not watched, our literary institutions will be
turned into workshops and our scholars into servants and journeymen.
Keep the literary and industrial apart. Let the former be stamped deeply
so it will not be mistaken. We need scholars. All men are not workers
in the trades, and never will be. If we cripple the schools established, by
diverting them largely from their original plan, we shall have no lawyers,
doctors, professors, authors, etc. And again, the money in the schools
will be divided and neither end will be reached ; we will be like clowns
trying to ride two horses, and as they get wider apart, we drop in a
ditch, and our horses run away from us and break their own necks.
Keep these schools apart, and attempt not the task of grinding scholars
out of industrial, nor finished workmen from literary schools. Each has
a legitimate sphere and let each stick to it. In the colleges, universities
and higher schools of the South, not less than a thousand white men are
teaching our youth ; it is not intended that they will do so forever. I
would, therefore, prepare the professors to take their places in the same
manner that they were prepared — in literary institutions. In plainer
words, let the student be free from industrial trade work when he has
made certain grades in his classes. We want good workmen and good
scholars, not deluded smatterers in either department. Gingerbread work,
fiddling with tools, frittering away time, is not seriously making a
mechanic. Industrial work as a sentiment must be crystallized into
a profitable reality.

Hence, this feeble effort in Southern schools will only be the means of
deceiving many into the notion that they are "workmen," when they
are only botches, and will furnish another poor class of mechanics to
supplement a class of which we now complain. It would be wiser to
spend ten thousand dollars on a single school per year, and make a first
class industrial department, than two thousand dollars on each of five
schools. Many will learn to do things for which they can give no reason.

52 INTRODUCTION'.

The people, the masses, the boys, the girls, the rank and file, must be
taken through a thorough English course and made master of a trade.
I said this school was needed as a corrective ; that is, to teach the dignity
of labor. Thev must learn the gospel of manual labor ; not simply as a
means of bread and butter, but an honorable calling and duty. Let the
buzz of the saw, the ring of the hammer, the whisle of the engine, the
spinning of the wheel, the low of the ox, the bleating of the lamb, the
crow of the rooster, all be music and inspiration to the rising race.
Labor is honorable, but it is fast becoming unfashionable for the colored
boy or girl to seek manual labor, and rather than work, many become
loafers, dissipates and wrecks. Let us start a current large enough to
meet the mental tide and mingling, find the happy medium. Parents
must give their children trades. Teachers and preachers must see to this
matter.

This school should have a large farm attached, where agriculture in
every form should be taught, and by means of which living could be made
cheap to poor students. To sum up the words of another, here in this
school, the farmer should be educated in science, elementary engineering,
mechanics and agriculture ; the miner, mineralogy, geology, chemistr}',
and his own work; the merchant in geography, history, foreign language,
political economy and laws ; the machinist must master all the known
powers of material nature — heat and cold, weight and impulse; matter
in all conditions — liquid, solid and gaseous, standing or running, condensed
or rare, adamantine or plastic — all must be seen through and compre-
hended b}r the master of modern mechanics. Architects, engineers, teach-
ers and all classes of workers require a technical education.

I mean to take the female along too. They must be taught domestic
economy, household ethics, home architecture, cookery, telegraphy, pho-
tography, printing, editorial work, dressmaking, tailoring, knitting,
fancy work, nursing, dairying, horticulture, apiaculture, sericulture,
poultry raising, stenography, type-writing, practical designs, painting,
repousse work, etc., etc., for if men must make money, the women must
know best how to save it, or wha't is better, help to get it. A saving
wife is worth her weight in gold and earns her own board and is entitled
to have her washing done from home.

Before I leave this subject, let me say that it may prove the best thing
after all that our youth cannot get into the workshops and factories as

INTRODUCTION. 53

readily as white youths. The latter class have the blessings of good
homes and the amenities of a social life beyond that of a colored child.
Ever}' library, lecture hall and art gallery is open, and the finest music,
sculpture, books, magazines and journals fall as thick around them as
autumn leaves. But our youths need to have the moral training which
comes from the school-room as well as the skill that comes from the
■workshop. They need practical drill in habits of industry, care in busi-
ness, punctuality in dealing with the world, and, in fact, they need the
moral bracing up that makes good citizens and' square business men and
women. Perhaps Providence has so hedged us that out of trials and
darkness may come pleasure and light. So now we are driven to do per-
haps the best thing for our race byputting our children where head, hand,
eye, ear, and in fact the whole man, must be trained.

The great National Convention of colored men held at
Louisville, September, 1883, enrolled him as a member.
His love for the people is shown in the following little inci-
dent. While serving as a member of the committee on edu-
cation and labor, a proposition was made to ask Congress
to pass a bill giving the monies which had been left in the
treasury from the unclaimed bounties of colored soldiers to
the high schools of the South, which would of course have
included the denominational, and excluded the public
schools. Against this he protested, notwithstanding he
was at the head of the denominational school which would
have received benefits, on the grounds that the masses
should be aided and not the few, and because it was a lack
of statesmanship and knowledge of the laws governing the
land to ask aid for denominational schools. The commit-
tee voted him down solidly, but when the matter was
called up in the convention, he took the platform and made
a speech so convincing that the chairman, Hon. D. A.
Straker, LL. D., of South Carolina, was called upon to

54- INTRODUCTION.

change the report, which was done with good grace. At
the convention of the Knights of Wise Men, held in Atlanta,
Georgia, he took an active part in the deliberations.^ He
has delivered several addresses before the American Baptist
Home Mission Society At the fiftieth anniversary held in
New York, May 24, 1872, his oration, "What are the
Colored People Doing?" was much spoken of and published
in the Jubilee Volume. He delivered another before the same
bod}-, Mav 26-27, 1885, at Saratoga, and has been invited
to address the next meeting, May 29, 1887, at Minne-
apolis. In 1884, he was appointed by Hon. B. K. Bruce
commissioner for the State of Kentucky in the colored de-
partment of the World's Industrial and Cotton Exposition
held at New Orleans, Louisiana, and succeeded in giving a
splendid representation, thereby reflecting credit on the
State. The school over which he presided made a credit-
able exhibit. The trustee board, in making the annual re-
port to the General Association of Colored Baptists, said :

At the suggestion of our worthy president, who was also the com-
missioner for Kentucky for the World's Exposition at New Orleans, an
exhibition of our University, of both the literary and industrial work, was
sent to the Exposition. To say that the display was complete and satis-
factory is but to state it mildly. It has done much to advertise our Uni-
versity, and shows the capacity of our people for both education and
industrial pursuits.

In September, 1883, Dr. Simmons called together and
organized the Baptist women into a convention, for the
purpose of raising money for the educational work of the
denomination in the State. The body known as the "Bap-
tist Women's Educational Convention" has met everv

INTRODUCTION. 55

year since, and has and is doing a noble work in paying
off the indebtedness of the State University

Were you to ask me Dr. Simmons' motto, I would say,
"God, my race and denomination." While holding tenac-
iously his own religious views, he is willing for other men
to hold theirs. Among his strongest friends are eminent
preachers, scholars and laymen of every denomination in
the United States with which colored people are allied.
The fact that the Wilberforce University conferred upon
him the degree of D. D. is ample evidence of the friendliness
existing between him and the brethren of that faith. The
faculty of said school ranks with the most eminent men of
America, among whom are Rev. B. W Arnett, D. D., Pro-
fessor W S. Scarborough, LL.D., Bishops D. A. Payne,
D. D., LL.D., John M. Brown, D. D., D. C. L., and others
of like grace and eminence.

Being impressed with the idea that colored Baptists
were not doing what they should for the support and influ-
ence of their peculiar views, he suggested, through the
American Baptist, April 5, 1886, that a convention be
held. This suggestion was heartily endorsed by Baptists
throughout the United States. He issued the call at their
suggestion, and the result was the organization of the
American National Baptist Convention, which met, August
25, 1886, in St. Louis, Mo., and of which he was unani-
mously elected president, and chairman of the executive
committee. He preached the denominational sermon
which was published in the minutes. It was rich in
statistics and history, pregnant with the faith as handed
down from the Apostles. He concluded by saying :

56 INTRODUCTION.

The work of the colored Baptists is marvelous, aye, stupendous. When
we remember our elevation to-day, it is not with undue pride; no! no!
no! with thanksgiving and humiliation, with self-abasement and lowli-
ness, and with an earnest prayer for more faith, we'lift our eyes to the
Great Father of souls and pray His righteous benediction, that we bow
our heads because we have been unprofitable servants. Yet it is with
astonishment that we have reached such lofty heights, and with remark-
able pleasure do we look back upon the depths from which we came.
Driven out, Hagar-like, we have, Ishmael-like, still become a people and
dwell in the presence of our brethren, and to-day, in figures bright and
glowing in the ending of the nineteenth century, wecount fully 1,071,000 —
every sign of progress. It might be remarked, if we can rise to this point
with few learned men, what shall be the result in the next twenty years?
Books, papers, magazines and pamphlets shall be as plentiful as the
maple leaves in full blown spring.

The Baptist host is like a cube ; throw them aside and they always
land on an equal side, and you need never despair when in your trials
and doubts in 3-our several churches ; remember the God of battles is on
your side and that the ages have only increased His glory.

His knowledge of the tenets of the denomination with
which he is identified is marvelous. In this direction his
research has been thorough and extensive as is shown in an
article on "Baptism" published in the A. AT. E. Review,
October, 1886, in reply to Rev- B. W Williams.

As an orator Dr. Simmons is pleasing to his audience.
A quick thinker, and possessing a rich and read}' flow of
choice language, a figure that can be seen, and a voice
that can be heard at a distance. At times, in the heat of
debate, the whole grandeur of his soul is transfused into
bis countenance , and his hearers are electrified as only
true eloquence can electrify

He was invited to address the students of three different
colleges in one year At Selma University, May 28, 1885,

INTRODUCTION. 57

his subject was "True Manliness." The Baptist Pioneer
commented as follows :

For nearly an hour and a half the speaker held the large audience
spellbound. He was eloquent and inspiring. Rarely have we listened to
a more practical oration. At times the audience was convulsed with
laughter at the wit, and then immediately made to reflect under the
solid words of wisdom which fell from the speaker's lips.

His address before the Berea College students, subject
"The Great Text-Book of the Ages," received much com-
ment. June 18, 1885, after delivering an oration before
the Wilberforce Literary Society, subject "Leaders and
Followers," he had conferred on him the degree of D. D., by
that venerable institution. In 1881, he had received the
degree of A. M., from Howard University During the
educational movement in Kentucky, in 1885, I think, Dr.
Simmons delivered a speech before the Inter-State Educa-
tional Convention, which was held in the white Baptist
church, subject "The Education of the Negro Race." In
this convention were found the most eminent educators,
State superintendents and the most noted thinkers in
America. Favorable criticism was made by the New York
Journal of Education, the Courier-Journal of Louisville,
and other State papers.

He delivered an oration at the Lexington Emancipation
celebration, January 1, 1887 Urging the hearers to
greater efforts, he said :

The warm blood of the Negro that haunts the channels of his veins
with ancient Egyptian and Ethiopian fires has been tempered in the cli -
mate of the South and reduced to that proportion which robs it of its
sluggishness, subdues it of wild passion and holds it by reason, while the

58 INTRODUCTION.

trials of the past have been the friction that brightens, the winds that
toughen, and the frosts that ripen. No great song, or poem, or book,
or invention has yet seen birth south of the" Mason and Dixon Line." It
has been reserved for us. The only American music was born on the
plantations and wrung from aching hearts as wine from the luscious grape.
It has touched the heart of the learned and engaged the attention of the
scientific musician. As the Indian faded in the North, before the white
man, so the white man of the South must yield to us, without, however,
a bloody conflict. We shall gather wealth, learning and manhood, and
occupy the land. This is the asylum of the world; and the tramp of
hunying nations warns us that this is the " Valley of Decision." On this
soil are settled the great questions of the earth. Already the march of
empire has bathed its weary feet in the Pacific, and with the exception
of watery waste has arrived at its home, and it is possible that He who
made all nations of one blood, will here in our land, marry and inter-
marry, and reduce this conglomerate mass to one distinct nationality,
with all the blood made one, and the highest type of consecrated man-
hood being realized, reduced back to the Adamic color through us ; or He
may out of the aggregate develop each to its highest type, and let them
live to the end of time, carrying out His divine plans, and unerringly
accomplishing His decrees. Here in this new South the Negro shall shine
in the constellation of the nations, and by his words and deeds hand
down to unborn ages the glittering pages of our history. We shall in
some prominent way mount the ladder of difficulties, scale the cliff of prej-
udices and hide our heads among the stars.

Dr. Simmons, in his modesty, does not claim for this
work an\- special literary excellence, but his aim is simply
to embalm in some place the lives of these men for future
historians, who may take isolated cases and do justice to
each. He also wishes to inspire the youth of the land,
giving the many trials through which these men have had
to pass, and have them further influenced by the great
degree of promotion which has been granted to them.
His talents, developed by cultivation, are also enriched by

INTRODUCTION. 59

the love of God and man which reaches beyond the boys
of to-day who are trying to be somebody, to the boys of
the future, who will inquire into the deeds and achieve-
ments of their fathers. As a man, Dr. Simmons is loyal to
his convictions, sympathetic, independent, far sighted,
therefore a wise counselor, methodical and liberal. He
regards money as a trust from God, to be invested in
every cause relative to bettering the condition of his fellow
men and advancing the cause of Christ. His hand is shut
when those who do not want, come to him ; but when
the really needy and friendless come to him, it is like a
strainer full of holes, letting all he possesses pass through.
To friends he is faithful; to enemies he shows a steady
resistance, but no aggressiveness.

Thus far, I have sketched a few of the prominent phases
in the life of the doctor, more in a biographical outline
than in analysis of his true worth, reserving for the con-
clusion a few facts adumbrated in the preceding remarks.

I regard Dr. Simmons as one of the most replete scholars
to his age in the country, for all the invincibility that at-
tached to his boyhood and youthful days, enabling him to
triumph over every obstacle that confronted him, still
incites him to literary research, so that almost every sub-
ject within the circle of learning has been pierced by his
intellectual prowess. Yet it could not be expected that a
man of his age could be the master of every branch, for
such exalted attainments only come by years of laborious
application, which a young man has not had time to ac-
complish. The doctor has a large, symmetrically developed
head, elevated in the centre at the organ of veneratioo,

60 INTRODUCTION.

with a brain texture of the highest type, attesting marvel-
ous powers, when, even in many instances the head is
oblong, but infinitely more so when rightly shaped, thus
giving the doctor giant powers to use while employed
in ferreting out the^deep things of science, philosophy and
theology, which will, if the doctor lives fifty years, culmi-
nate in making him one of the most mighty men of our
race tipon the globe.

As has been said of liberty, vigilant application is the
price of profound scholarship ; and this being the charm of
his life, nothing but premature death can avert it. Too
many of our young men after reaching literary distinction
forget ihe rock from whence they were hewn, and waste
their lives in endeavoring to become white, or expend it in
worshiping white gods. But this charge cannot be made
against the doctor. He is as true to his race as a needle is
to the pole, and no stronger evidence is required than the
work that will contain these sketches of eminent colored
men. The future historian will ponder these pages, glean
their contents as he traces the great men of this age, and
wonder at the achievements made by them, in the face
of so many environments that militated against them.
Negro giants now sleeping in the womb of the future, will
come forth an Armada that will defy the powers of earth,
trample colored prejudice in the dust, write glory, honor
and immortality itself upon the brow of black; frown
thunders, at race distinctions, fire the citadels of man-
hood discriminations and burn them to the ground ; hurl
defiance in the face of our defamers and contemners, and
with pens of lightning write up the history of our ances-

INTRODUCTION. 61

try, and present them before earth and heaven as no one
now ever dream.

When that time comes, as it will, unless God ceases to
reign, this work of Dr. Simmons' will form the foot-base of
the mighty superstructure that will be reared with chancel,
dome, spire and minaret, to the undying worth, merits and
fame of the Negro. The abominable heresies set adrift by
pseudo-philosophers, pseudo-scientists, and other figure-
heads as ignorant as they were mean and low, that the
Negro race were naturally inferior, and nothing great could
ever be evolved from them, will be remembered in the grand
hereafter as the overflowing slag or dross which precedes
the incandescent rocks dashed from the volcano's fiery jaws,
while hurtled thunders shook the ground as though the
gods were in battle arrayed. The Indian represents the
past, the white man the present, but the Negro the future.
The Indian is old, decayed and worn out ; the whites are
in the prime of life and vigor; but the Negro is a boy,*a
youth at school, a mere apprentice learning his trade.
When the white race reaches decrepitude, as races are peri-
odical as well as worlds, the Negro will have reached his
prime, and being in possession of all he has and will acquire
from the whites, and his own genius and industry to man-
ufacture more and lift him to a higher civilization, he will
stand out the wonder of the ages. The earth will tremble
beneath his tread, while nature opens her bosom and pours
into his lap her richest treasures. With mystic keys he
will unlock her coffers, and her very arcana will divulge the
secrets which she never whispered before into inquiring
ears. Then, if not before, the name of Dr. Simmons will

62 INTRODUCTION.

be as familiar to the millions as that of Herodotus,
Josephus, Pliny, Plutarch and other historians enshrined
in the gratitude of the world. For him the world will have
to look largeh' for a true narrative of the merits of
the men who came upon the tapis at the death of our en-
slavement, and directed affairs while we were in a transi-
tional state, rather while we were bursting the chrysalis
that bound our intellectual and moral pinions, and barred
our development until we had thrown off the slave forms,
slave ears, slave doubts, as to our ability to live by merit
and to claim rank among the more favored of earth.

Little as the common observer may regard it, we men
who gather up the fragments of our labors, acts, achieve-
ments, sayings, songs, oddities, peculiarities, fun, speeches,
lectures, poems, war struggles, bravery, degradation and
sufferings, and preserve them for the future, now while they
are within reach, will stand out as heroes in the day to
come. The future orator, statesman, minister, poet, journ-
alist, ethnologist, as well as the historian, will from these
gather materials to build towers heaven-reaching that will
monument the grandeur of our race, and still grander
struggles that lifted them from the barren plains of the
contempt of the world, to the majestic heights that we are
destined to scale in God's Providence. To this book, when
Dr. Simmons will be numbered with the dead for centuries,
will come the men above described, and others in countless
scores, to light their torches, inspire their young, encourage
the doubtful, animate the faltering and forward the tide of
elevation till the last Negro boy and girl on the globe shall

INTRODUCTION. 63

foe proud of their color, their hair, their origin and their

race.

Henry M. Turner.

^=^LM^ j g. /8-?t.

^^^Tl'l'tfrS: "$?;%,,

frldkrick Douglass.

I.

HON. FREDERICK DOUGLASS, LL. D.

Magnetic Orator — Anti-slavery Editor — Marshal of the District of
Columbia — Recorder of Deeds of the District of Columbia— First Citi-
zen of America — Eminent Patriot and Distinguished Republican.

WHO can write the life of this great man and do him
justice ? His life is an epitome ofthe efforts of a noble
soul to be what God intended, despite the laws, customs
and prejudices. That such a soul as Douglass' could be
found with the galling bonds of slavery is the blackest
spot in the realm of thought and fact in the whole history
of this government. But such a man as he would not
remain in slavery, could not do so. Aye ! it was impossi-
ble to fetter him and keep him there. He was a man. He
was not going to remain bound while his legs could carry
him off, and, as he facetiously remarked, he prayed for
freedom, but when he made his legs pray, then he got free.
He shows himself a man of works as well as faith. And
these go together. But eulogy is wasted on such a man.
His life speaks, and, when he is dead, his orations will keep
his memory fresh, and his name will stand side by side
with Webster, Sumner and Clay.

Frederick Douglass was born about the year 1817, in
Tuckahoe, a barren little district upon the eastern shore of

66 MEN OF MARK.

Maryland, best known for the wretchedness, poverty,
slovenliness and dissipation of its inhabitants. Of his
mother he knew very little, having seen her only a few
times in his life, as she was employed on a plantation some
distance from the place where he was raised. His master
was supposed to be his father.

No man perhaps has had a more varied experience than
the subject of this sketch. During his early childhood he
was beaten and starved, often fighting with the dogs for
the bones that were thrown to them. As he grew older
and could work he was given very little to eat, over-
worked and much beaten. As the boy grew older still, and
realized the misery and horror of his surroundings, his very
soul revolted, and a determination was formed to be free
or to die attempting it.

At the age of ten years he was sent to Baltimore to Mrs.
Sophia Auld, as a house servant. She became very much
interested in him, and immediately began teaching him his
letters. He was very apt, and was soon able to read. The
husband of his mistress, finding it out, was very angry and
put a stop to it.

This prohibition served only to check the instruction
from his mistress, but had no effect on the ambition, the
craving for more light, that was within the boy, and the
more obstacles he met with the stronger became his deter-
mination to overcome them. He carried his spelling book
in his bosom and would snatch a minute now and then to
pursue his studies. The first money he made he invested in
a "Columbian Orator." In this work he read "The Fa-
naticism of Liberty" and the "Declaration of Indeoend-

FREDERICK DOUGLASS, LL. D. 67

ence." After reading this book he realized that there was
a better life waiting for him, if he would take it, and so he
ran away.

He settled in New Bedford with his wife, who, a free
woman in the South, being engaged to Douglass before his
escape, followed him to New York, where they were mar-
ried. She was a worthy, affectionate, industrious and in-
valuable helpmate to the great Douglass. She ever stood
side by side with him in all his struggles to establish a
home, helped him and encouraged him while he climbed
the ladder of knowledge and fame, together with him
offered the hand of welcome and a shelter to all who were
fortunate enough to escape from bondage and reach their
hospitable shelter ; and never, while loving mention is made
of Frederick Douglass, may the name of his wife "Anna"
be forgotten.

In New Bedford he sawed wood, dug cellars, shovelled
coal, and did any other work by which he could turn an
honest penny, having the incentive that he was working
for himself and his family, and that there was no master
waiting for his wages. Here several of their children were
born.

He began to read the Liberator, for which he subscribed,
and other papers, and works of the best authors. He was
charmed by Scott's "Lady of the Lake," and reading it he
adopted the name of "Frederick Douglass." He began to
take an interest in all public matters, often speaking at the
gatherings among the colored people. In 1841 he addressed
a large convention at Nantucket. After this he was em-
ployed as an agent of the American Antislavery Society,

68 MEN OF MARK.

which really marks the beginning of his grand struggle for
the freedom and elevation of his race. He lectured all
through the North, notwithstanding he was in constant
danger of being recaptured and sent to the far South as a
slave. After a time it was deemed best that he should for
a while go to England. Here he met a cordial welcome.
John Bright established him in his house, and thus he was
brought in contact with the best minds and made ac-
quainted with some of England's most distinguished men.
His relation of the wrongs and sufferings of his enslaved
brethren excited their deepest sympathy ; and their admir-
ation for his ability was so profound, their wonder so great,
that there should be any fear of such a man being re-
turned to slavery, that they immediately subscribed the
amount necessary to purchase his freedom, made him a
present of his manumission papers, and sent him home to
tell his people that

Slaves cannot breathe in England ;

If their lungs receive our air, that moment they are free;

They touch our country, and their shackles fall.

Returning to America he settled in Rochester, New York,
and established a paper called the North Star, afterwards
changed to Fred Douglass1 Paper, also Douglass' Monthly.
These were all published in his own office, and two of his
sons were the principal assistants in setting up the work,
and attending to the business generally.

There has been a great deal of speculation as to what
connection Frederick Douglass had with the John Brown
raid. The two great men met, and Brown became ac-
quainted with Douglass' history. They became fast friends.

FREDERICK DOUGLASS, LL. D. 69

They were singularly adapted to each other as co-workers,
both being deeply imbued with the belief that it was their
duty to devote their lives and means to the cause of eman-
cipation. They lived frugally at home that they might
have the more to give. Their families caught their inspira-
tion, and their lives were all influenced by the one motive'
power — the cause of freedom. Many men and women who
successfully escaped into Canada, and thence to other
places, will tell how, after they had been well fed, nourished
and made comfortable by the mother, one of Fred Doug-
lass' boys had carried them across the line and seen them
to a place of safety. When other boys were enjoying all
the comforts and pleasures their parents could provide for
them, Douglass' sons were made to feel that there was only
one path for them to walk in until the great end for which
they were working had been attained.

Brown's first plan was to run slaves off, and in this
Douglass heartily joined him; but when he found Brown
had decided to attempt the capture of Harper's Ferry, he
went to him at Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, a short time
before the raid, and used every argument he could to
induce him to change his plans. Brown had enlisted a.
body of men to accompany him who felt as he felt, that
their lives were nothing as weighed against the lives and
liberties of so many who were suffering in bondage. His
arms and ammunition were ready, his plans were all laid,
and to Douglass' argument he answered: "If we attack
Harper's Ferry, as we have now arranged, the country
will be aroused, and the Negroes will see the way clear to
liberation. We'll hold the citizens of the town as hostages,

70 MEN OF MARK.

and so holdingthem can dictate our terms. You, Douglass,
should be one of the first to go with us."

"No, no," replied the latter, "I can't agree with you
and will not go with you — your attempt can only result
in utter ruin to you, and to all those who take part in it,
without giving any substantial aid to the men in slavery
Let us rather go on with our first plan of the 'Under-
ground Railroad ' by which slaves may be run off to the
free states. By that means practical results can be ob-
tained. From insurrection nothing can be expected but
imprisonment and death."

"If you think so," replied Brown, "it is, of course, best
that we should part." He held out his hand. Douglass
grasped it. "Goodbye! God bless you ! " they exclaimed,
almost in the same breath, and then parting forever, were
soon lost to each other in the darkness.

It was soon discovered that Douglass and Brown were
in sympathy, and that Douglass, besides harboring Brown,
had furnished him money to defray expenses, and thus
making his safety a matter of great doubt. His friends
advised him to leave the country for awhile. They were
willing to stand by him, even to fight for him, but felt
that it would be wiser to avoid the danger if possible.
After much hesitation he was induced to abide by their
advice, and the result proved the wisdom of his having done
so. He went first to Canada and from there to England.
Only a short time after his departure a requisition for his
arrest was made by Governor Wise of Virginia. The requi-
sition read as follows :

FREDERICK DOUGLASS. 71

[Confidential.]

Richmond, Virginia, November 13, 1859.
To His Excellency, James Buchanan, President of the United States, and
to the Honorable Postmaster-General of the United States —
Gentlemen : — I have information such as has caused me, upon proper
affidavits, to make requisition upon the Executive of Michigan for the
delivery up of the person of Frederick Douglass, a Negro man, supposed
now to be in Michigan, charged with murder, robbery and inciting servile
insurrection in the State of Virginia . My agents for the arrest and reclama-
tion of the person so charged are Benjamin M. Morris and William N. Kelly.
The latter has the requisition and will wait on 3'ou to the end of obtaining
nominal authority as postoffice agents. They need to be very secretive
in this matter, and some pretext of traveling through the dangerous sec-
tion for the execution of the laws in this behalf, and some protection
against obtrusive, unruly or lawless violence. If it be proper so to do,
will the Postmaster-General be pleased to give Mr. Kelly for each of
these men a permit and authority to act as detectives for the postoffice
department without pay, but to pass and repass without question, de-
lay or hindrance ?

Respectfully submitted by your

Obedient Servant,
Henry A. Wise.

Mr. Douglass did not feel it necessary to hasten his
return on account of this interesting document, and so re-
mained abroad till it was safe for him to come home. This
adventure did not in the least dampen his ardor in the
great cause. Wherever and whenever he could do or say
anything for it, he never failed to do so. When the first
gun was fired at Sumter, he was among the foremost to
insist upon the enrollment of colored soldiers. In 1863 he,
with others, succeeded in raising two regiments of colored
troops, which were known as Massachusetts regiments.
Two of his sons were among the first to enlist. His next
move was to obtain the same pay for them that the white

72 MEN OF MARK.

soldiers received, and to have them exchanged as prisoners of
war ; in fact, that there should be no difference made between
them and other soldiers. His work did not end with the
war. He recognized the fact that a new life had begun for
the former slaves ; that a great work was to be done for
them and with them, and he was ever to be found in the
foremost ranks of those who were willing to put their
shoulders to the wheel. His means, as well as his time, he
largely gave to the cause. He was one of the most inde-
fatigable workers for the passage of the amendments to
the Constitution, granting the same rights to all classes of
citizens, regardless of race and color. He attended the
"Loyalists' Convention," held in Philadelphia, in 1867,
being elected a delegate from Rochester. Some feared his
presence would do more harm than good, knowing how
radical he was ; but he felt that it was his duty to go, and
nothing could change him. It has been conceded that it
was due principally to his persistent work in that conven-
tion, that resolutions favoring universal suffrage were
passed. A little incident in connection with this conven-
tion shows the value of his work in that meeting, by dis-
closing the feeling of the men he had to deal with. As the
members assembled proceeded to fall in line, on their way
to the place of meeting, every one seemed to avoid walking
beside a colored delegate. As soon as Theodore Tilton
noticed it, he stepped to Douglass' side, and arm in arm
they entered the chamber. This act has made them life-
long friends, and these two are both brotherly in their de-
voted friendship. In Mr. Douglass' recent visit to France,

FREDERICK DOUGLASS. 73

he met Mr. Tilton, who resides in Paris, and had a glorious
time.

He established the New National Era at Washington,
D. C, in 1870. This paper was edited and published prin-
cipally by him and his sons, and devoted to the cause of
the race and the Republican party. In 1872 he took his
family to reside in the District of Columbia. In 1871
President Grant appointed him to the Territorial Legis-
lature of the District of Columbia. In 1872 he was chosen
one of the Presidential electors-at-large for the State of
New York, and was the elector selected to deliver a cer-
tified statement of the votes to the president of the Senate.

He was appointed to accompany the commissioners on
their trip to Santo Domingo, pending the consideration
of the annexation of that island to the United States.
President Grant in January, 1877, appointed him a police
commissioner for the District of Columbia. In March of the
same year President Hayes commissioned him United
States marshal for the District of Columbia. President
Garfield, in 1881, appointed him recorder of deeds for the
District of Columbia. This last position he held till about.
May, 1886, nearly a year and a half after the ascendancy
to the national administration of the Democratic party.

No man has begun where Frederick Douglass did and
attained to the same giddy heights of fame. Born in a
mere hovel, a creature of accident, with no mother to
cherish and nurture him, no kindly hand to point out the
good worthy of emulation and the evil to be shunned, no
teacher to make smooth the rough and thorny paths lead-
ing to knowledge. His only compass was an abiding

74 MEN OF MARK.

faith in God, and an innate consciousness of his own abil-
ity and power of perseverance.

Harriet Beecher Stowe, in her book entitled ' Men of Our
Times,' says: "Frederick Douglass had as far to climb to
get to the spot where the poorest white boy is born, as
that white boy has to climb to be President of the nation,
and take rank with kings and judges of the earth."
Again, in the Senate of the United States, in a recent im-
portant case under consideration, the following statement
formed part of a resolution submitted by that body in
reply to the President of the United States: "Without
doubt Frederick Douglass is the most distinguished repre-
sentative of the colored race, not only in this country, but
in the world." To-day he stands the acknowledged peer
in intellect, culture and refinement of the greatest men of
our age, or any age ; in this country, or any country. His
name has never been written on the register of any school
or college, yet it will ever be written on the pages of all
future history, wherever the names of the ablest men of
our times appear, side by side with those of the more
favored race. His relations with such men as John G.
Whittier, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Wendell Phillips, Wil-
liam Lloyd Garrison; and such women as Lydia Maria
Child, Grace Greenwood, and Harriet Beecher Stowe, have
ever been cordial and pleasant. Some men who never
graduate from a college have more sense in five min-
utes than many a conceited graduate who has all his
knowledge duly accredited by a sheepskin, but is not the
real possessor of an education. The trustees of Howard
University honored themselves and their institution, more

FREDERICK DOUGLASS. 75

than they did Mr. Douglass, when they conferred upon
him the title of LL. D., and when also they gave him a
seat in their board.

Mr. Douglass in 'His Life,' written by himself, gives the
following account of his visit to his old home :

The first of these events occurred four years ago, when, after a period
of more than forty years, I visited and had an interview with Captain
Thomas Auld at St. Michaels, Talbot county, Maryland. It will be
remembered by those who have followed the thread of my story that St.
Michaels was at one time the place of my home and the scene of some of
my saddest experiences of slave life, and that I left there, or rather was
compelled to leave there, because it was believed that I had written pas-
ses for several slaves to enable them to escape from slavery, and that
prominent slaveholders in that neighborhood had, for this alleged Of-
fense, threatened to shoot me on sight, and to prevent the execution of
this threat my master had sent me to Baltimore.

My return, therefore, to this place in peace, among the same people,
was strange enough in itself; but that I should, when there, be formally
invited by Captain Thomas Auld, then over eighty years old, to come to
the side of his dying bed, evidently with a view to a friendly talk over
our past relations, was a fact still more strange, and one which, until its
occurrence, I could never have thought possible. To me Captain Auld
had sustained the relation of master — a relation which I had held in ex-
treme abhorrence, and which for forty years I had denounced in all
bitterness of spirit and fierceness of speech. He had struck down my per-
sonality, had subjected me to his will, made property of my body and
soul, reduced me to a chattel, hired me out to a noted slave breaker to
be worked like a beast and flogged into submission ; he had taken my
hard earnings, sent me to prison, offered me for sale, broken up my
Sunday-school, forbidden me to teach my fellow-slaves to read on pain of
nine and thirty lashes on my bare back; he had sold nry body to his
brother Hugh and pocketed the price of my flesh and blood without any
apparent disturbance of his conscience. I, on my part, had traveled
through the length and breadth of this country and of England, holding
up this conduct of his, in common with that of other slaveholders, to
the reprobation of all men who would listen to my words. I had made his

76 MEN OF MARK.

name and his deeds familiar to the world by my writings in four different
languages; yet here we were, after four decades, once more face to face
— he on his bed, aged and tremulous, drawing near the sunset of life, and
I, his former slave, United States marshal of the District of Columbia,
holding his hand and in friendly conversation with him in his sort of final
settlement of past differences preparatory to his stepping into his grave,
where all distinctions are at an end, and where the great and the small,
the slave and his master, are reduced to the same level. Had I been
asked in the days of slavery to visit this man, I should have regarded the
invitation as one to put fetters on my ankles and handcuffs on my
wrists. It would have been an invitation to the auction block and the
slave whip. I had no business with this man under the old regime but
to keep out of his way. But now that slavery was destroyed, and the
slave and the master stood upon equal ground, I was not only willing to
meet him but was very glad to do so. The conditions were favorable for
remembrance of all his good deeds and generous extenuation of all his
evil ones. He was to me no longer a slaveholder either in fact or in
spirit, and I regarded him as I did myself, a victim of the circumstances
of birth, education, law and custom.

Our courses had been determined for us, not by us. We had both been
flung, by powers that did not ask our consent, upon a mighty current of
life, which we could neither resist nor control. By this current he was a
master, and I a slave ; but now our lives were verging towards the point
where differences disappeared, where even the constancy of hate breaks
down, where the clouds of pride, passion and selfishness vanish before the
brightness of Infinite light. At such a time and in such a place, when
man is about closing his eyes on this world and ready to step into the
-eternal unknown, no word of reproach or bitterness should reach him or
fall from his lips ; and on this occasion there was to this rule no trans-
gression on either side.

As this visit to Captain Auld had been made the subject of mirth by
heartless triflers, and regretted as a weakening of my lifelong testimony
against slavery by serious minded men, and as the report of it, published
in the papers immediately after it occurred, was in some respects defective
and colored, it may be proper to state exactly what was said and done
at this interview.

It should in the first place be understood that I did not go to St.

FREDERICK DOUGLASS. 77

Michaels upon Captain Auld's invitation, but upon that of my colored
friend, Charles Caldwell; but when once there, Captain Auld sent Mr.
Green, a man in constant attendance upon him during his sickness, to tell
me that he would be very glad to see me, and wished me to accompany Green
to his house, with which request I complied. On reaching the house I
was met by Mr. William H. Bruff, a son-in-law of Captain Auld's, and
Mrs. Louisa Bruff, his daughter, and was conducted by them immedi-
ately to the bedroom of Captain Auld. We addressed each other simul-
taneously, he calling me " Marshal Douglass," and I, as I had always called
him, "Captain Auld." Hearing myself called by him "Marshal Douglass,"
I instantly broke up the formal nature of the meeting by saying, ' ' Not Mar-
shal, but Frederick to you as formerly. ' ' We shook hands cordially, and in
the act of doing so he, having been long stricken with palsy, shed tears as
men thus afflicted will do when excited by any deep emotion. The sight of
him, the changes which time had wrought in him, his tremulous hands
constantly in motion, and all the circumstances of his condition affected
me deeply, and for a time choked my voice and made me speechless. We
both, however, got the better of our feelings and conversed freely about
the past.

Though broken by age and palsy, the mind of Captain Auld was
remarkably clear and strong. After he had become composed I asked
him what he thought of my conduct in running away and going to the
North. He hesitated a moment as if to properly formulate his reply, and
said : " Frederick, I always knew you were too smart to be a slave, and
had I been in your place I should have done as you did." I said, " Captain
Auld, I am glad to hear you say this. I did not run away from you, but
from slavery; it was not that I loved Caesar less, but Rome more." I
told him that I had made a mistake in my narrative, a copy of which I
had sent him, in attributing to him ungrateful and cruel treatment of my
grandmother; that I had done so on the supposition that in the division
of the property of my old master, Mr. Aaron Anthony, my grandmother
had fallen to him, and that he had left her in her old age, when she could
be no longer of service to him, to pick up her living in solitude with none
to help her; or in other words, had turned her out to die like an old horse.
" Ah," said he, "that was a mistake; I never owned your grandmother;
she, in the division of the slaves, was awarded to my brother-in-law,
Andrew Anthony ; but,"he added quickly, " I broughther down here and!

78 MEN OF MARK.

took care of her as long as she lived." The fact is, that after writing my
narrative, describing the condition of my grandmother, Captain Auld's
attention being thus called to it, he rescued her from destitution. I told
him that this mistake of mine was corrected as soon as I discovered it,
and that I had at no time any wish to do him injustice, and that I
regarded both of us as victims of a system. "Oh, I never liked slavery,"
he said, " and I meant to emancipate all my slaves when they reached the
age of twenty-five years." I told him I had always been curious to know
how old I was, that it had been a serious trouble to me not to know
when was my birthday. He said he could not tell me that, but he
thought I was born in February, 1818. This date made me one year
younger than I had supposed myself, from what was told me by Mistress
Lucretia, Captain Auld's former wife, when I left Lloyd's for Baltimore
in the spring of 1825; she having then said that I was eight, going on
nine. I know that it was in the year 1825 that 1 went to Baltimore, be-
cause it was in that year that Mr. James Beacham built a large frigate
at the foot of Alliceana street, for one of the South American governments.
Judging from this, and from certain events which transpired at Colonel
Lloyd's, such as a boy without any knowledge of books under eight years
old would hardly take cognizance of, I am led to believe that Mrs. Lu-
cretia was nearer right as to my age than her husband.

Before I left his bedside, Captain Auld spoke with a cheerful confidence
of the great change that awaited him, and felt himself about to depart in
peace. Seeing his extreme weakness I did not protract my visit. The
whole interview did not last more than twenty minutes, and we parted
to meet no more. His death was soon after announced in the papers,
and the fact that he had once owned me as a slave was cited as rendering
that event noteworthy.

His life has been marked by a purity of purpose from its
beginning. He has filled many offices of trust, yet in not one
position has he ever betrayed his trust. He has been largely,
deeply engaged in politics, yet has been no politician. That
is, he understood and practiced none of the tricks of politi-
cians. His work has always been honest and conscientious,
because he believed in whatever cause he worked for, and

FREDERICK DOUGLASS. 79

did not, as most of our public men, have an eye to a per-
sonal reward. All the recompense he sought was a con-
sciousness of having accomplished some good. Whatever
has been given him in the way of office has been unsolicited
by him. Some of our public men have wavered in their
fidelity to the Republican party, when after long waiting
they fail to see a substantial reward laid at their feet ; but
not so with Mr. Douglass. He believed implicitly in the
Republican party and realized that being composed of
human beings it might sometimes err ; but he would say,
"The Republican party is the deck and all outside is the
sea." Another saying of his is, "I would rather be with
the Republican party in defeat, than with the Democratic
party in victory " By such expressions may be seen his
faithful adherence to what he believed to be right.

He is generous and forgiving, almost to a fault. On the
friendliest terms with Lincoln, Grant, Sumner and many
of their compeers, his opinions on public matters were al-
ways heard with deference and often adopted. His clear,
forcible, yet persuasive way of presenting facts* always
carry conviction with it.

And now, after a long and well fought battle of seventy
years, we find him still erect and strong, bearing gracefully
and unassumingly the laurels he has so nobly won. No
one who visits him in his beautiful home at Cedar Cottage
comes away without being richer by some gem of thought,
dropped by the genial host.

A few years ago Fred Douglass married a white lady,
who was a clerk in his office while recorder of deeds. This
was much objected to by many of his race, but on mature

80 MEN OF MARK.

reflection, it has been about decided that he was no slave
to take a wife as in slave times on a plantation — accord-
ing to some master's wish — but that it was his own busi-
ness, and he was only responsible to God. He has been
invited to the President's levees and he and his wife shown
every mark of consideration. His travel in foreign coun-
tries has in no way been embarrassed by this act. If any
one thought he was so foolish as to not know what would
be said of his marriage, they have mistaken the man. But
Douglass did as he thought was right as he understood it.
It showed he had the courage to brave popular opinion as
he had done on other occasions.

Frederick Douglass enjoys a joke as well as any man I
know. I was traveling with him recently from Atlantic
City, New Jersey, to Washington, District of Columbia.
We had been traveling on the territory of Maryland. Near
Harve de Grace, a rather officious white gentleman was
particularly attentive to Mr. Douglass, and after intro-
ducing himself to the eminent orator stood up and called
out to the people in the car : "Gentlemen and ladies, this
is Frederick Douglass, the greatest colored man in the
United States." The people flocked around him for an
introduction. One white gentleman who was a Mary-
lander, said "Let me see, Mr. Douglass, you ran away
from Maryland, did you not, somewhere in this neighbor-
hood, I believe?" "No," said Mr. Douglass, with that
grand air and good humored laugh which is his own prop-
erty, "Oh, no sir, I did not run away from Maryland, I
ran away from slavery."

There are three great orators in this country, Frederick

FREDERICK DOUGLASS. 81

Douglass, John M. Langston and George W Williams,
the first two are a couplet of as magnificent speakers as
ever heard on an American platform ; the last is a gifted
star ascending the zenith . Douglass and Langston are ripe
with age and mellow with experience. The young man is
now vigorous and full of strength and handles the less ex-
citing subjects of the day. The older men had the subjects
of slavery and reconstruction; two greater themes, can
and may never engage our minds in this broad land of
swift passing events. They showed their zeal and inspira-
tion against wrong ; Williams shows his learning, research,
and brilliant oratory.

God grant, when in the course of nature the mantle
shall fall from his shoulders, that one may spring up to
wear it, to guard it as vigilantly as he has, and as lov-
ingly and carefully protect its folds from pollution.

If the extracts here given should be long, let it be re-
membered that Mr. Douglass, by length of service, by pre-
eminence in public office, by his standing not only in
America, but in the world, is entitled to large space. I
want the young people also to declaim these extracts. I
am tired of hearing every man's good works repeated and
no Negro's eloquence chain an audience when, too, there are
such elegant specimens.

The following is taken from his great speech in the
National Convention of Colored Men held in Louisville,
Kentucky, September 25, 1883.

The speaker addressed the greater part of his remarks to
the white citizens of the country in the nature of a rebuke
for their shortcomings towards the colored race, and said :

82 MEN OF MARK.

Born on American soil, in common with yourselves, deriving our
bodies and our minds from its dust ; centuries having passed away since
our ancestors were torn from the shores of Africa, we, like yourselves,
hold ourselves to be in every sense Americans. Having watered your
soil with our tears, enriched it with our blood, performed its roughest
labor in time of peace, defended it against enemies in time of war, and
having at all times been loyal and true to its highest interests, we
deem it no arrogance or* presumption to manifest now a common con-
cern with you for its welfare, prosperity, honor and glory.

WHAT THE NEGROES WANT.

Referring to the antagonism experienced in calling the
convention, he said :

From the day the call for this convention went forth, the seeming in-
congruity and contradiction of holding it has been brought to our atten-
tion. From one quarter and another, sometimes with argument and
sometimes without argument; sometimes with seeming pity for our
ignorance, and at other times with fierce censure for our depravity, these
questions have met us. With apparent surprise, astonishment and im-
patience, we have been asked : " What more do the colored people of this
country want than they now have, and what more is possible for them ?"
It is said they were once slaves, they are now free ; they were once sub-
jects, they are now sovereigns; they were once outside of all American
institutions, they are now inside of all, and a recognized part of the
whole American people. Why, then, do they hold colored national con-
ventions, and thus insist upon keeping- up the color line between them-
selves and their white fellow-countrymen ?"

Mr. Douglass then proceeded to answer these questions
categorically, and took occasion to administer a basting
to those of his people who were too mean, servile and cow-
ardly to assert the true dignity of their manhood and their
race, and referred the existence of such creatures to the
lingering remains of slave caste and oppression.

FREDERICK DOUGLASS. 83

To the question "Why are we here in this National Con-
vention?" he answered:

Because the voice of a whole people, oppressed by a common injustice,
is far more likely to command attention and exert an influence on the
public mind than the voice of simple individuals and isolated organiza-
tions : because we may thus have a more comprehensive knowledge of
the general situation and conceive more clearly and express more fully
and wisely the policy it may be necessary for them to pursue. If held for
good cause, and by wise, sober and earnest men, the result will be salu-
tary. The objection to a "colored " convention lies more in sound than
substance. No reasonable man will ever object to white men holding
conventions in their own interest when they are once in our condition
and we in theirs : when they are the oppressed and we the oppressors.

In point of fact, however, white men are already in convention against
us in various ways, and at many important points; and the practical
structure of American life is in convention against us. Human law may
know no distinction between men in respect of rights, but human prac-
tice may. Examples are painfully abundant. The border men hate the
Indians; the Californian, the Chinaman; the Mohametan, the Christian,
and vice versa, and in spite of a common nature and the equality framed
into law, this hate works injustice, of which each in their own name and
under their own color may complain.

The apology for observing the color line in the composi-
tion of our State and National conventions is in its neces-
sity, and because we must do this or nothing.

CIVIL RIGHTS OBSTRUCTIONS.

In vindication of the convention and its cause, the speaker
continued :

It is our lot to live among a people whose laws, traditions and preju-
dices have been against us for centuries, and from these they are not yet
free. To assume that they are free from these evils, simply because they
have changed their laws, is to assume what is utterly unreasonable and

S-l MEN OF MARK.

contrary to facts. Large bodies move slowly ; individuals may be con-
verted on the instant and change the whole course of life; nations never.

Not even the character of a great political organization can be
changed by a new platform. It will be the same old snake, though in a
new skin. Though we have had war, reconstruction and abolition as a
nation, we still linger in the shadow and blight of an extinct institution.

Though the colored man is no longer subject to barter and sale, he is
surrounded by an adverse settlement which fetters all his movements. In
his downward course he meets with no resistance, but his course upward is
resented and resisted at every step of his progress. If he comes in ignor-
ance, rags and wretchedness, he conforms to the popular belief of his
character, and in that character he is welcome ; but if he shall come as a
gentleman, a scholar and a statesman, he is hailed as a contradiction to
the national faith concerning his race, and his coming is resented as impu-
dence. In the one case he may provoke contempt and derision, but in the
other he is an affront to pride and provokes malice. Let him do what he
will, there is at present no escape for him. The color line meets him every-
where, and in a measure, shuts him out from all respectable and profitable
trades and callings. In spite of all your religion and laws, he is a rejected
man. Not even our churches, whose members profess to follow the despised
Nazarine, whose home when on earth was among the lowly and despised,
have yet conquered the feeling of color madness ; and what is true of our
churches is also true of our courts of law. Neither is free from this all-
pervading atmosphere of color hate. The one describes the Deity as im-
partial and "no respecter of persons," and the other shows the Goddess
of Justice as blindfolded, with a sword by her side and scales in her
hand held evenly balanced between high and low, rich and poor, white
and black, but both are images of American imagination, rather than of
American practice. Taking advantage of the general disposition in this
country to impute crime to color, white men color their faces to commit
crime, and wash off the hated color to escape punishment.

Speaking of lynch law for the black man, he says :

A man accused, surprised, frightened and captured by a motley crowd,
dragged with a rope around his neck in midnight darkness to the nearest
tree, and told in terms of coarsest profanity to prepare for death, would
be more than human if he did not in his terror-stricken appearance mors

FREDERICK DOUGLASS. 85

confirm the suspicion of his guilt than the contrary. Worse still; in the
presence of such hell-black outrages the pulpit is usually dumb, and the
press in the neighborhood is silent, or openly takes sides with the mob.
There are occasional cases in which white men are lynched, but one
swallow does not make a summer. Every one knows that what is
called lynch law is peculiarly the law for colored people and ior nobody
else.

He next referred to the continuation of Ku-klux outrages,
and said generally this condition of things is too flagrant
and notorious to require specification or proof. " Thus in
all the relations of life and death we are met by the color
line. We cannot ignore it if we would, and ought not if
we could. It hunts us at midnight, it denies us accommo-
dation in hotels and justice in the courts ; excludes our
children from schools ; refuses our sons the chance to learn
trades, and compels us to pursue such labor as will bring
us the least reward. While we recognize the color line as
a hurtful force— a mountain barrier to our progress,
wounding our bleeding feet with its flinty rocks at ever}'
step — we do not despair. We are a hopeful people. This
convention is a proof of our faith in you, in reason, in
truth and justice, and of our belief that prejudice, with all
its malign accompaniments, may yet be removed by peace-
ful means. When this shall come, the color line will only
be used as it should be, to distingush one variety of the
human family from another."

THE REPUBLICAN PARTY'S ATTITUDE.

Our meeting here was opposed by some of our number, because it
would disturb the peace of the Republican party. The suggestion came
from coward lips and misapprehends the character of that party. If the
Republican party cannot stand a demand for justice and fair play, it

86 MEN OF MARK.

ought to go down. We were men before that party was born, and oui
manhood is more sacred than any party can be. Parties were made for
men, not men for parties. This hat (pointing to his big white sombrero
lying on the table before him), was made for my head ; not my head for
the hat. (Applause.) If the six million of colored people in this country,
armed with the Constitution of the United States, with a million votes
of their own to lean upon, and millions of white men at their backs
whose hearts are responsive to the claims of humanity, have not sufficient
spirit and wisdom to organize and combine to defend themselves from
outrage, discrimination and oppression, it will be idle for them to expect
that the Republican party or any other political party will organize and
combine for them, or care what becomes of them.

The following is taken from an anti-slavery speech de-
livered many years ago :

A PERTINENT QUESTION.

BY FREDERICK DOUGLASS.

Is it not astonishing that while we are plowing, planting, and reap-
ing, using all kinds of mechanical tools, erecting houses and constructing
bridges, building ships, working in metals of brass, iron and copper, sil-
ver and gold ; that while we are reading, writing and ciphering, acting
as clerks, merchants and secretaries, having among us lawyers, doctors,
ministers, poets, authors, editors, orators and teachers ; that while we
are engaged in all manner of enterprises common to other men, digging
gold in California, capturing the whale in the Pacific, breeding cattle
and sheep on the hillside; living, moving, acting, thinking, planning;
living in families as husbands, wives and children; and, above all, con-
fessing and worshiping the Christian's God, and looking hopefully for
immortal life beyond the grave ; is it not astonishing, I sa}-, that we are
called upon to prove that we are men ?

In the Negro, a monthly magazine, published in Bos-
ton, Massachusetts, of date August, 1886, under the head
of

FREDERICK DOUGLASS. 87

"MISNOMER,"

Mr. Douglass wrote as follows :

Allow me to say that what is called the Negro problem seems to me a
misnomer. The real problem which this nation has to solve, and the
solution of which it will have to answer for in history, were better de-
scribed as the white man's problem. Here, as elsewhere, the greater
includes the less. What is called the Negro problem is swallowed up by
the Caucasian problem. The question is whether the white man can
ever be elevated to that plane of justice, humanity and Christian civili-
zation which will permit Negroes, Indians and Chinamen, and other
darker colored races to enjoy an equal chance in the race of life. It is
not so much whether these races can be made Christians as whether
white people can be made Christians. The Negro is few, the white man
is many. The Negro is weak, the white man is strong. In the problem
of the Negro's future, the white man is therefore the chief factor. He is
the potter ; the Negro is the clay. It is for him to say whether the Negro
shall become a well rounded, symmetrical man, or be cramped, deformed
and dwarfed. A plant deprived of warmth, moisture and sunlight cannot
live and grow. And a people deprived of the means of an honest liveli-
hood must wither and die. All I ask for the Negro is fair play. Give
him this, and I have no fear for his future. The great mass of the col-
ored people in this country are now, and must continue- to be in, the
South; and tHere, if anywhere, they must survive or perish.

It is idle to suppose these people can make any large degree of progress
in morals, religion and material conditions, while their persons are un-
protected, their rights unsecured, their labor defrauded, and they are
kept only a little beyond the starving point.

Of course I rejoice that efforts are being made by benevolent and
Christian people at the North in the interest of religion and education ;
but I cannot conceal from myself that much of this must seem a mock-
ery and a delusion to the colored people there, while they are left at the
mercy of anarchy and lawless violence. It is something to give the
Negro religion (he could have that in time of slavery): it is more to give
him justice. It is something to give him the Bible; it is more to give
him the ballot. It is something to tell him that there is a place for him
in the Christian's heaven ; it is more to allow him a peacful dwelling-
place in this Christian country. Frederick Douglass.

88 MEN OF MARK.

T

ii.

REV W B. DERRICK, D. D.

Minister of the African M. E. Church— Pulpit Orator.
HE subject of this sketch was born on the Island of An-

tigua, in the British West Indies, July 27, 1843. Nine-
teen years after the boon of emancipation was conferred
on those islands by the British Parliament, in 1834, An-
tigua, his native land, was the first island in the British
West Indies which had the courage to ameliorate her
slave laws, by affording the accused the benefit of a trial
by jury; and an act of the assembly, February 13, 1834,
decreed the emancipation of every slave without requiring
a period of apprenticeship prescribed by the British Parlia-

t

ment. She refused to believe in the virtues of apprentice-
ship to prepare her bondsmen for freedom ; if they were to
be liberated, why not at once? And she has never had
occasion to repent it.

His father, Thomas J Derrick, belonged to the highly
respectable family of Derricks who were large planters in
the islands of Antigua and Anguila. His mother, Eliza,
was of medium height, with regular features always
lighted up with smiles, of genial disposition, and a mind
well stored with witty and original thoughts, which ren-
dered her conversation interesting, animating and devoid

W. B. DERRICK.

W. B. DERRICK. 89

of monotony. Both parents are now slumbering, the
former in the cemetery of the village church, the latter
beneath the pendant branches of the mahogany tree in the
public cemetery of the metropolis of the island. Mr. Der-
rick when very young was sent to a private school, and at
the end of two years was admitted in the public school at
Gracefield, under the auspices of the Moravians, and regu-
larly attended from 1848 until the spring of 1856, when
the head master of said school was removed to another
charge. During these eight years, his progress at every
stage in his studies was rapid and substantial, as if he had
adopted for his motto "I will excel.1' His natural talent,
especially for oratory, elicited general applause at the
annual examinations, largely attended by the elite of the
neighborhood, who took special interest in the cause of
education. In his class, conspicuous for his uncommonly
large head, high forehead and penetrating eyes, he stood
among the few who could manfully grapple with the diffi-
cult questions put by the tutor. In the spring of 1856, he
was sent to a select private high school in the metropolis,
under the tutorship of J. Wilson, Esquire, a fine classical
scholar, but a great disciplinarian. Here he remained
three years. He was afterward sent to learn the trade of
a blacksmith. His parents finally consented to let him go
to sea, under the care of Captain Crane, with the under-
standing that he was to be taught- the science of navi-
gation, and at the end of two or three years to return
home and embark in business. On the sixth of May, 1860,
he was on his first voyage to the United States. The ship
was soon enveloped in a violent storm, and driven ashore

90 MEN OF MARK.

at Turk's Island, but saved from becoming a total wreck.
She took in her cargo, however, and sailed to New York.
After a voyage of fourteen days, the merchantman reached
the back-waters and continued to glide until she reached
Sandy Hook. On coming along the Jersey coast, some
altercations, on the term "nigger" being applied to him,
took place between an Irishman and himself, which ended
in his convincing the young Irishman, pugilistically, that
his complexion had nothing to do with his manhood. He
did considerable sailing around in ships, visiting the coast
of Massachusetts and other places, and finally came to
Boston. On this trip he met with a serious accident,
namely, the breaking of his leg in two places. The case
was aggravated by not having a surgeon on the spot for
treatment. After making several trips and being ship-
wrecked, he volunteered in the service of the United States
government for three years, and was assigned to the
flagship Minnesota, of the North Atlantic squadron. He
was thrown among five hundred other sailors, of all na-
tionalities, who, like himself, were enlisted on the side of
right. War absorbed his whole soul, yet with all this he
could not repress the old idea, or smother the returning
voice of the spirit which seemed to haunt him, urging him
to enter the Christian ministry. When he met with the
accident previously alluded to, he had had serious thoughts
concerning this matter: Like a nail driven in a sure place
by "the master of assemblies," there was no getting
away from him who was determined to be heard amid the
din and roar of artillery and the shrieks of shells. The
hand of the Lord was upon him. He was formally en-

W. B. DERRICK. 91

rolled in the list of sailors from 1861 to 1864 and contrib-
uted his quota to the gallant exploits and glorious
achievements, and shared in the trials and triumphs of
those brave ones in their struggles and conquests in the
civil war.

Many incidents transpired while he remained on board
his floating home, many of which beggar description, as,
in the conflict between the Merrimac and Monitor, and in
the heartrending scenes of carnage and blood. He was an
American citizen now, and having been dismissed from the
United States navy, took two steps, one in leading to the
altar of matrimony Miss Mary E. White, the only
daughter of Edwin White, Esq., of Norfolk, Virginia, and
the other to take the initiatory to enter the ministry of the
African M. E. Church by joining the church at Washington,
District of Columbia, under the pastoral care of Rev . , [now]
Bishop J M. Brown, who, after the usual preliminaries,
licensed him to preach and at the same time to act as mic
sionary agent, both of which offices he held until 1867
He was then admitted to the regular traveling connection,
appointed by the Rt. Rev. D. A. Payne, D. D., LL. D., to
Mt. Pisgah chapel, Washington, District of Columbia, where
he labored for one year as preacher and teacher. In the
year 1868 he was ordained deacon, and transferred to the
Virginia conference, which closed before he arrived. His
only alternative was to accept one of the most impover-
ished missions in the district, situated in the Alleghany
mountains, almost on the border of the Tennessee line. At
the annual conference at Portsmouth, he was elected elder
and was ordained by Bishop J P Campbell, D. D.,LL. D.,

92 MEN OF MARK.

after which he was appointed pastor and presiding elder of
the Staunton church and district. From this time he may
be said to be firmly established in the Christian ministry
He was reappointed presiding elder, pastor and conference
secretary at the annual conference held in Norfolk in 1870
Staunton, 1871; Richmond, 1872; Portsmouth, 1873
Danville, 1874; Richmond, 1875; Portsmouth, 1876
Wytheville, 1877; Farmville, 1878; and Hampton, 1879
as a delegate to the general conference held in Nashville,
1872, at Atlanta, Georgia, 1876, and at Baltimore, Mary-
land, 1884, serving on all important committees in the ses-
sions. In politics he has taken an active part. In Virginia,
when the question of readjusting the State was agitating
the country, and was submitted to the people to be voted
upon in the November elections of 1879, he took sides with
the party that was in favor of paying the debt as had been
contracted. This party was known as the "Funders."
His attitude was in perfect harmony with the platform
of the National Republican party insomuch that the admin-
istration at Washington sanctioned his course again. As
the colored people were considered dangerous and willing
tools in the hands of ambitious men, who were unscrupu-
lous and always ready to make use of them in furthering
their own ends, regardless of consequences, he publicly de-
nounced the faction known as "Readjusters," who repu-
diated the payment of an honest debt. This controversy
was considered the most vindictive political war ever
waged in that section, and lasted several months, termin-
ating in the triumph of the "Readjusters." Mr. Derrick
was disgusted, and knowing full well that as leader of the

W B. DERRICK. 93

opposite faction he would have to suffer, he resigned his
charge, left the South again, and took a trip to the West
Indies in company with his wife. In this tour he traveled
in the Bermudas, Jamaica, St. Thomas and Antigua, his
native land. After twenty years absence he first visited
the home of his oldest sister ; then the graves of his de-
parted parents and other members of the family. He
preached and lectured to almost all the churches, on popu-
lar subjects. Returning to the United States, he resumed
his ministerial duties. He has since served churches in
Salem, New Jersey ; Albany, New York, and Sullivan street
church, New York City, where he continues to enjoy the
confidence of the members of his church and the commu-
nity at large.

The doctor has many personal admirers and they will
read with interest a book of over three hundred pages, in
press at this writing, which will contain a "Tribute to
the Life and Labors of Rev. W. B. Derrick, D. D., Minister
of the A. M. E. Church." The contents will be about as
follows :

Preface ; Dedication to the Sons and Daughters of Liberty in the United
States and the West Indies; Recommendatory Letters from Bishop H.
M. Turner, D. D., Rev. Dr. B. T. Tanner, Rev. J. A. Handy, D. D., Profes-
sor T. McCants Stewart, LL. B., Rev. W. H. Thomas, A. M., Rev. T. T.
B. Reid, B. A.; Outline History of Antigua, Dr. Derrick's native land;
Notices of some of the leading men in the A. M. E. Church^— the whole
work of his life covering four periods, viz :

Period I. — His Childhood and Youth.

Period II. — Life Abroad ; or, The Young Man from Home.

Period III. — In the American Navy during the Civil War.

Period IV. — Twenty-three years in the Ministry of the A. M. E.
Church ; Sermons and Orations and Contributions to the Press.

94 MEN OF MARK.

His sermons, addresses and speeches are noticed in the
New York Tribune, Sun, Herald, Times, the Evening- Tele-
gram, the Christian Recorder and the leading colored
journals in this country, such as the New York Freeman
and the Boston Advocate. He is a staunch Republican in
politics, a progressive and evangelical preacher of the gos-
pel, filled with the broad benevolence of Heaven and un-
wearied in his efforts to save immortal souls. The Wilber-
force University conferred upon him the title of D. D., in
1885. He is an honorary member of the I. 0. G. Tem-
plars, the Masonic Body, Odd-Fellows and Good Samari-
tans, the Publication Board of the A. M. E. Church and
trustee of Wilberforce University He has succeeded in
accumulating about five thousand dollars worth of prop-
erty, and was also the executor of the late lamented
Bishop R. H. Cain, D. D., who died at his residence in
New York City. He has paid an elaborate tribute to the
virtues of the deceased in that city recently He has been
offered the superintendency of the church work in the West
Indies, but respectfully declined. He is a diligent student
of the Bible and as a pastor is ever solicitous that his
flock should be fed with the "bread of life." His church is
justly proud of his works, which show wisdom and care on
his part. No man has a higher standing in this country,
for his power is felt among all classes. His rich voice and
personal magnetism make him powerful in the field of
oratory. His qualities of head and heart, his sound patri-
otism and sturdy manhood mark him a progressive man
of the age.

The Evening Telegram, New York, gave "Sketches of

W B. DERRICK. 95

Some of the Prominent Divines, "had the following, among
other good things, to say of Rev. Dr. Derrick :

After leaving Albany, Dr. Derrick became pastor of the Sullivan Street
Church, which is situated in the heart of the largest colored colony in this
great metropolis. His church is a low-browed and plain brick structure,
but it is roomy inside, and is generally well filled with a class of worship-
ers much more devout than are to be found in many churches frequented
by white persons. Dr. Derrick is a short, stout, full and smooth-faced
man of light color, with great command of laflguage and exceeding
felicity of illustration to suit the plain understanding and comprehension
of the people with whom he labors. Outside of the pulpit, he exercises a
shrewd business supervision of the personal affairs of his flock, and serves
them as legal adviser and political leader. He is an ardent Republican.

As presiding elder, his district embraces Fleet Street Church, Brooklyn,
and the African Methodist Episcopal churches at Williamsburg, Flushing,
Melrose, Albany, Chatham, Kinderhook, Catskill, Coxsackle, White
Plains and Harlem Mission. The church which Dr. Derrick has charge of
is valued at $80,000, and the adjoining parsonage is worth $10,000
more. He is paid $2,000 per annum, a furnished house included. They
also support a paid choir, under Professor Savage, one of the best musi-
cians of the race. The church membership is 1,000, and the seating
capacity of the building 1,500, but frequently more than 2,000 wor-
shipers stand within its walls and listen to the eloquent appeals of its
pastor in behalf of human progress.

In June, 1884, he was nominated as a Presidential elector-at-large by
the Republican State Committee, at the instance of Fire Commissioner
Van Cott. There was considerable opposition among his own race to
the nomination. It was headed by John J. Freeman, the then editor of the
Progressive American. The opposition alleged that Dr. Derrick was not
a citizen, and, therefore, could not serve as an elector. W. H.Johnson,
ex-janitor of the State Senate, made affidavit that once after a ward
meeting, in Albany, which Dr. Derrick had attended, he asked why Dr.
Derrick did not vote, and that Dr. Derrick said he was not a citizen,
having been born in the West Indies, and never having taken out
naturalization papers. When asked why he had not been naturalized,
he replied that he did not wish to give up his allegiance to Her

96 MEN OF MARK.

Gracious Majesty, the Queen, as he had intended to stay in this country-
onl}' until he had amassed sufficient means to live like a gentleman at
home, where living was cheap.

A CITIZEN.

On July 1 Dr. Derrick declined the nomination. He took this action,
however, before he knew of the Albany affidavits, his reason being that
he had been chosen b3r his church to assist in arranging for the centennial
celebration of American Methodism, and, therefore, had not time to be
an elector. This was the first time his citizenship was called in auestion,
although he had exercised his rights and privileges as a citizen. He
proved at the time that he had come to this country when he was
seventeen vears old, and that when he enlisted in the navy he had taken,
the oath of allegiance to the United States.

PHILIP H. MURRY.

III.

PHILIP H. MURRY, ESQ.

Phrenologist — Editor and Philosopher.

ONE of the brightest and most gifted men among the
editors is P H. Murry. He was born in Reading,
Pennsylvania, in 1842. His parents, Samuel and Sarah
Murry, were anxious that their boy should have opportuni-
ties to make a man of himself. His father was born on
the eastern shores of Maryland, in Kent county, and
living in a slave State, found that he would not be able to
place such advantages before his son. He never was a
slave, but as far back as he could trace the genealogical
tree, his ancestors were pure, unadulterated Negroes, who
came from Africa to America through the British West
Indies. The mother is a mixed Negro, Indian and Irish.
On the paternal side of his mother's ancestry, the grand-
father half Negro and Indian, bought, during the colonial
times, an Irish woman for her passage and made her his
wife. It will be remembered in the history of the Virginia
colonists that many women were sent over for wives to
the fortune seekers, and they were purchased for one hun-
dred and fifty pounds of tobacco apiece. She was born in
Schuylkill county, Pennsylvania, and Jack, her husband,
was free born. On account of the inferiority of colored

9o MEN OF MARK.

schools in Reading, at the time of his youth, his father
only permitted him to attend school about a week. After-
wards he was placed under Father Patrick Keevil for priv-
ate instruction. Father Keevil was at this time a casta-
way, but was nevertheless a scholar, having graduated
at Minonth College, England. After passing through the
rudiments young Philip entered into a series of scientific
and philosophical studies, embracing natural science,
natural philosophy and the more liberal works on theol-
ogy, especially physiology, and the brain as a physical
instrument of thought and feeling. This was when he
was about the age of fifteen, and these studies no doubt
laid the basis of his future investigations. He has studied
the whole realm of science and philosophy, going deeper
than the surface, inquiring into the "whys" and "where-
fores" with patient zeal and unremitting toil. One can
scarcely converse with him without seeing and feeling
that his thoughts are drawn from a deep well and that
the fountain is pure. Later on he was absorbed in the
abolition movement, and was an attendant and promoter
of the movements which were prevalent before the war.
He came frequently in contact with Douglass, Garnet,
H. Ford, the Shadds and Watkins, Bishop Payne, Rogers,
the Negro Historian, Wolf and Hamilton, the Journalists,
and other leading Negroes, including Dr. Martin R. Delan-
cy, who then were foremost in that work. He delivered a
series of able, comprehensive and learned lectures on
"Cerebral Physiology" throughout New England, and
made some useful and important investigations, experi-
ments and discoveries on the temperaments, and the era-

PHILIP H. MURRY. 99

nium as a continuation of the spinal development. As a
phrenologist he is a perfect success. The writer remem-
bers when quite a boy he met Mr. Murry in the city of
Burlington, New Jersey. At that time examining his head,
he accurately told the characteristics so plain to him, but
at that time so undeveloped and unknown to the writer
that he has been astonished in later years to find that the
very things he predicted would be developed, were devel-
oped unconsciously, and are recognized as a verification
of his deductions. In 1864 he was a delegate to the
famous Negro convention which met at Syracuse, New
York, and was chosen chairman of the Pennsylvania dele-
gation. When Lee first invaded Pennsj'lvania, Mr Murry,
anxious to serve his country in the capacity which
would do the most good, organized a company of soldiers
and offered their services to Governor Curtin, but was
refused because Negroes were not then needed to suppress
the rebellion. But in after days when the Southern armies
had shattered the Northern forces, and doubt was over-
hanging the country as to which side would win, the
government found out that a Negro could stop a bullet as
well as a white man. At the age of twenty-one, he bought
the homestead of which his father was about being de-
prived, and deeded it to his mother; said property being
worth about three thousand dollars. In conjunction
with J. P Sampson, he published the first colored jour-
nal in Kentucky The Colored Kentuckian. He taught
school in Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Virginia and Missouri,
and took conspicuous and active parts in securing colored
teachers for the colored schools in St. Louis and through-

100 MEN OF MARK.

out Missouri. This idea was projected by him in a con-
vention of teachers which met at Jefferson City, Missouri,
in 1876, and for which he made speeches in St. Louis,
which were published in all the dailies verbatim, and drew
editorial comments as well as universal discussion among
the citizens of the city and State. He published the
Colored Citizen at Washington, District of Columbia,
in 1872, and held the inspectorship of public improve-
ments under a board of public improvement at the same
time. During the war he traveled in the South and corres-
ponded for several Northern journals. In 1880, Mr.
Murry established the St. Louis Advance, and this paper
has for its primal mission the industrial education of the
Negro. He was for several years clerk in the Money
Order Department of the St. Louis Post Office, also held
positions of trust and honor in the comptroller's office of
St. Louis. He has been a delegate to the various State
and National conventions during the nine years he has
lived in that city He is now chairman of the Colored
State Committee, Missouri. In 1879, he organized the St.
Louis Colored Men's Land Association, which is now a
success. As a writer, Mr. Murry is one of the most bril-
liant in the country His editorials are always fresh,
vigorous, far-seeing and progressive ; bristling with argu-
ment and backed with facts. His aim in life is to press
home the importance of industrial education. His re-
marks on the subject at the National Press convention,
Atlantic City, July, 1886, are wortny to be kept, and as
many may read this book we give here a few of the sen-

PHILIP H. MURRY. 101

Ttences which ought to be read by every colored man,
■woman and child. Said he :

Vl I would rather see a colored man on 'change than a colored man in
Congress. We have produced a Fred Douglass, now we want a James
B. Eads. We are in a large degree a landless, a tradeless and a homeless
race. We" are too much absorbed by politics; the best talent of the
Negro is engaged in political machinations, scheming to elect some white
man to office, or praj'ing for the " New Jerusalem " to descend down out
of Heaven. Emigrants from the most fecund blood of Europe are
marching by our doors in platoons of ten thousand deep, to the posses-
sion of the fertile lands of the West. They create a "New Jerusalem"
for themselves, but the "New Jerusalem" for the Negro never comes.
We loiter about in the big cities, living on the offals of the wealthy that
overawes and overshadows us at every turn. But we stay until some
great cit}'. springs up in the West and the trains are burdened with the
commerce of the new lands, then we go West with the broom and white
jacket. We should have gone West with the hoe and the plow. This is
the age of material progress ; the engineer has replaced the scholar ; the
mathematician instead of puzzling his brain over the problems of Euclid,
is wrestling with the "Bulls and Bears on 'change." The Greek gram-
marian has lieen supplanted by the machinist, and the man who would
hunt for a hundred years to find out the meaning of a Hebrew dot only
illustrates the intellectual fool of our modern times. Railroads, big farms,
manufactories, steam engines, electric lights, cable cars and the telegraph,
are the text books of to-day ; and if the Negro will not study to under-
stand, control and take possession of these, he cannot keep pace with
the progress of the age.

On the subject of emigration he said :

Stop this crying of emigration ; lay hold where you are ; get together,
put your dollars together like you put your votes and see if the result
will not bring more lands, houses, and offices too, for the enjoyment of
the colored people. Financial unity will establish that bond of interest
that brings better social, personal and political harmony and power.
Our oath-bound organization may be a strong tie, but an organization
bound together by "Dollars," welded by business, girded by houses,

102 MEN OF MARK.

trades, lands and manufactories, forms a bond of general, political and
personal, as well as financial union to which the obligations of secret
organizations appear but as a rope of sand.

In a recent editorial upon the same subject he has said :

Aside from all political considerations, whether the Negro should be
Democrat, Republican or Independent or become equally divided among
all factions seeking to elevate the national policy or control government,
the great need of the race to-day is a thorough knowledge and the skill-
ful training in the various fields of mechanism and labor. If the energies
wasted among the Negroes in trying to reach great political prominence,
were directed toward acquiring a knowledge of the necessary and useful
arts, the next generation of American Negroes would come forth full-
fledged and equipped as artisans, and thrifty business men, skilled car-
vers in wood, iron and stone structures, and whatever enters into the
convenience, comfort and facilities of our organization.

Such doctrines as these are calculated to be of immense
value to the people. He has vigorously taught and in-
sisted on industrial institutions, and his paper is sound on
all questions touching the progress of the race and up-
building of waste places.

He has a wife and four children, one dead, and his pos-
sessions are valued at about five thousand dollars.

CRISPUS ATTUCKS. 103

IV

CRISPUS ATTUCKS.

First Martyr of the Revolutionary War — A Negro Whose Blood was
Given for Libert}' — " Blood the Price of Liberty."

THE subject of this sketch was born in slavery in 1723,
and died in 1770. He ran away from his master,
William Brown of Farmingham, Massachusetts, on the
thirtieth of September, 1750, at the age of 27 He was a
mulatto, six feet and two inches high. His master adver-
tised for him in the following description: "Short, curly
hair, his knees nearer together than common; had on a
light colored bearskin coat, plain brown fustian jacket, or
a brown wool one, new buckskin breeches, blue yarn stock-
ings and a checked woolen shirt. Whoever shall take up
said runaway, convey him to above said master, shall
receive ten pounds, old tenor reward, and all necessary
charges paid. And all masters of vessels, or others, are
hereby cautioned against concealing or carrying off said
servant on penalty of the law. October 2, 1750."

Only after much meditation and thought, he had broken
away from the cruel chains that bound him, and was de-
termined to be a free American citizen. He learned to read
at odd times, and he used this .accomplishment in under-
standing the fundamental principles that underlie all regu-

104 MEN OF MARK.

lated forms of governments. A fiery patriotism burned
in his breast. He was anxious to avenge oppression in
every form, not b}r fighting alone, but by the sacrifice of
life, if necessary Twenty years later, Crispus' name once
more appeared in the journals of Boston. This time he
was not advertised as a slave who had run away, nor was
there a reward for his apprehension. His soul and body
were beyond the cruel touch of master. The press had
paused to announce his death and write the name of the
Negro patriot, soldier and martyr to the ripening cause of
the American Revolution, in fadeless letters of gold.

On March 5, 1770, the Boston massacre occurred. The
people had been oppressed by British tyranny, they had
been treated as inferiors ; they were taxed without repre-
sentation and their souls galled until they were maddened.
When British troops, to add insult to injury, encamped
upon their grounds, they could withhold no longer. They
were greatly exasperated ; they formed themselves into
clubs and resolved to avenge themselves and gain their
rights. They ran toward King street crying " Let us drive
out the ribalds. They have no business here." The rioters
rushed fearlessly towards the custom house. They ap-
proached the sentinel crying, "Kill him ! Kill him ! " It has
been said that Crispus Attucks led one of these clubs,
which has not been denied, but rather assented to. Botta
speaking of it says: "There was a band of the populace
led by a mulatto named Attucks, who brandished their
clubs and pelted them with snowballs." The scene was
horrible. The populace advanced to the points of their
bayonets. The soldiers appeared like statues. The howl-

CRISPUS ATTUCKS. 105

ings and violent din of bells still sounding -the alarm,
increased the confusion and the horrors of these moments.
At length the mulatto and twelve of his companions press-
ing forward environed the soldiers, striking their muskets
with their clubs, cried to the multitude, "Be not afraid,
they dare not fire. Why do you hesitate ? Why do you
not kill them ? Why not crush them at once ?"

Inspired by his words, his followers rushed madly on, and
the soldiers, incensed by this act of insolence, answered
the war-like cry by discharging their guns. Attucks had
lifted his arm against Captain Preston and fell a victim to
the mortal fire. Three were killed and five were severely
wounded. The cry of bloodshed spread like wild-fire.
People crowded the street, white with rage ; the bells rang
out with alarm, and the whole country was aroused to
battle. Attucks was buried from Fanueil Hall with great
honor. He had led the people and made the attack. He
was the first to resist and the first slain. His patriotism
was the declaration of war. It was liberty to the op-
pressed ; it opened the way to modern civilization and in-
dependence. It has blessed and will continue to bless
generations yet unborn. He is rightly claimed as the
savior of his country No monument has ever been reared
to his name. Repeated efforts have been made before the
Massachusetts Legislature, and notwithstanding the vari-
ous testimonies and the histories going to show that he
was entitled to the honor we have here accorded him,
upon a flimsy testimony the honor has been given to one
Isaac Davis of Concord, a white man. George Williams,

106 MEN OF MARK.

the historian of the race, in his very excellent work, uses
these words in regard to Crispus Attucks :

Attucks had addressed a letter to one Thomas Hutchinson, who was
the Tory governor of the province, in which he had used these words :
" Sir, you will hear from us with astonishment. You ought to hear from
us with horror. You are chargeable before God and man with our blood.
The soldiers are but passive instruments, mere machines, neither moral
nor voluntary agents in our destruction, more than the leaden pellets
with w hich we were wounded.

' ' You were a free agent ; you acted coolly, deliberately, with all that pre-
meditated malice, not against us in particular, but against the people in
general, which, in sight of the law, is an ingredient in the composition of
murder. You will hear from us further hereafter.

"Crispus Attucks."

This letter is taken from ' Adams' Works,' Volume II, page
322. Said Williams :

This was the declaration of war and it was fulfilled. The world has
heard from him, and more, the English speaking world will never forget
the noble daring, the excusable rashness of Attucks in the holy cause of
liberty. Eighteen centuries before He was saluted by death and kissed by
immortality, another Negro bore the cross of Christ to Calvary for Him.
And when the colonists were struggling wearily under their cross of woe,
a Negro came to the front and bore that cross to the victory of glorious
martyrdom !

A sketch also will be found of his life in the ' American
Encyclopedia ' and in William C. Nell's books on the colored
patriots of the Revolution.

GRANVILLE T WOODS.

GRANVILLE T WOODS. 107

GRANVILLE T. WOODS, ESQ.

Electrician— Mechanical-Engineer— Manufacturer of Telephone, Telegraph
and Electrical Instruments.

( ( ^* OME men are born great ; some have greatness thrust
*^-J upon them; and some achieve greatness." To the
last class belongs G.T.Woods, who was born in Columbus,
Ohio, April 23, 1856. He attended school until he was ten
years of age, when he was placed in a machine shop where
he learned the machinist and blacksmith trades. In the
meantime he took private lessons and attended night school,
and exhibited great pluck and perseverance in fitting himself
for the work he desired to undertake. He pursued with assi-
duity every study which promoted that end. November,
1872, he left for the West, where he obtained work as a fire-
man and afterwards as an engineer on one of the Iron Moun-
tain Railroads of Missouri. While in the employ of the rail-
road company he had a great deal of leisure, and as
saloons had no attractions for him, he took up the study
of electricity as a pastime. In December, 1874, he went to
Springfield, Illinois, where he was employed in a rolling-
mill. Early in 1876 he left for the East, where he received
two years special training in electrical and mechanical en-

108 MEN OF MARK.

gineering at college. While obtaining his special instruc-
tions, he worked six half days in each week in a machine
shop, the afternoon and evening of each day being spent in
school. February 6, 1878, he went to sea in the capacity
of engineer on board the Ironsides, a British steamer.
While a sailor, he visited nearly every country on the globe.
During 1880 he handled a locomotive on the D. & S. Rail-
road. Since then he has spent the major portion of his time
in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he has established a factory for
the purpose of carrying on the business, as indicated at the
head of this sketch. A company has been formed recently
for the purpose of placing Mr. Woods' Electrical Rail-
way Telegraph on the market. Mr. Woods says that he
has been frequently refused work because of the previous
condition of his race, but he has had great determination
and will and never despaired because of disappointments.
He always carried his point by persistent efforts. He says
the day is past when the colored boys will be refused work
only because of race prejudice. There are other causes.
First, the boy has not the nerve to apply for work after
being refused at two or three places. Second, the boy
should have some knowledge of mechanics. The latter
could be gained at technical schools, which should be
founded for the purpose. In this respect he shows good
sense and really prophesies the future of the race, and
these schools must sooner or later be established, and
thereby we shall be enabled to put into the hands of our
boys and girls the actual means for a livelihood. He is
the inventor of the "Induction Telegraph," a sj^stem for
communicating to and from moving trains, and is intended

GRANVILLE T. WOODS. 109

to diminish the loss of life and property, and produce a
maximum of safety to travelers. In the United States
patent office, in the case of Woods vs. Phelps' Railway
Telegraph Interference — L. M. Hosea, attorney for Woods,
and W D. Baldwin, attorney for Phelps — it will be shown
that the patent office has decided that Mr. Woods was the
prior inventor of this system. His rights having been ques-
tioned, he secures this verdict which gives him triumphal
possession of a great discovery. The following is taken
from the Scientific American :

The public prints give us almost daily accounts of railway collisions in
one section of the country or another. Every effort has been made to
avert these. The general introduction of the telegraph has unquestion-
ably done much in this direction ; but in thick weather the operatives at
the railway stations could scarcely be looked to to guard points of the
road beyond their ken, and the railway switchman or signalman, as in
other walks of life, is fallible. If railway signalmen could be found who
require neither sleep nor rest, who are not subject to fits or spasms or
spirituous excesses, and, above all, having eyes to pierce the fog, then
railroad travel would indeed be divested of its greatest terrors. But,
taking human nature as we find it, we learn that so grave a re-
sponsibility as the care of human life should never be thrust upon the
shoulders of a single man.

The "Block System" recently introduced would, it was believed,
prove a reliable means of preventing accidents on the rail, and it is but
fair to say that it has made an excellent record ; but that it is not, under
all conditions and circumstances, to be relied upon, there is abundant
evidence. Only last week it failed to prevent a collision between two
freight trains at New Brunswick, New Jersey, on the line of the Pennsyl-
vania railroad, in which two lives were lost and property to the value of
half a million dollars destroyed. It was of course only by mere chance
that these trains were not carrying passengers. From this it may be in-
ferred how pressing is the demand for some system in which the safety of
the traveling public is not made, to rely on. an unthinking and not

110 MEN OF MARK.

always reliable automaton, or, still worse, upon the action of an over-
worked and irresponsible employee, whose perception of colors may be
defective.

Many able electricians have believed the solution of this problem to lie
within the domains of the electrical science ; and those who have fol-
lowed the drift of recent electrical endeavors are aware of the con-
trivances, all looking towards the same goal, that have made their
appearance. The general principle on which all these have been based
was electrical communications between all trains, while en route, and
the train despatcher ; most of these systems have shown a certain degree
of efficiency when tested under favorable conditions, but the best of them
were subject to interruptions, and this, from the very nature of the work
they were called upon to perform, has been rendered more or less uncer-
tain, owing to the fact that they relied upon a direct contact with the
conductor, either by a wire, wheel or brush.

Now comes forward a practical system of train signaling, which does
not rely upon contact at all; the electrical induction coil upon the
moving train being distant from the conductor, lying between the track
at least seven inches.

The future possibilities of these new inventions appear to be very
great ; just how far the system can be extended and applied it is impos-
sible to foretell. But this appears to be certain ; the risk of disaster on
railways will be.greatly reduced from this time onward.

Mr. Woods claims that his invention is for the purpose
of averting accidents by keeping each train informed of the
whereabouts of the one immediately ahead or following
it ; in intercepting criminals ; in communicating with sta-
tions from moving trains; and in promoting general,
social and commercial intercourse. The following ap-
peared in the Cincinnati Sun :

Granville T. Woods, a young colored man of this city, has invented a
new system of electrical motor, for street railroads. He has invented
also a number of other electrical appliances, and the syndicate controlling
his inventions think they have found Edison's successor.

GRANVILLE T WOODS. Ill

The Cincinnati Colored Citizen, in its issue of January
29, 1887, says :

We take great pleasure in congratulating Mr. G. T. Woods on his suc-
cess in becoming so prominent that his skill and knowledge of his chosen
art compare with that of any one of our best known electricians of the
day.

The Catholic Tribune, January 14, 1886, said of him :

Granville T. Woods, the greatest colored inventor in the history of the
race, and equal, if not superior, to any inventor in the country, is destined
to revolutionize the mode of street car transit. The results of his experi-
ments are no longer. a question of doubt. He has excelled in every pos-
sible way in all his inventions. He is master of the situation, and his
name will be handed down to coming generations as one of the greatest
inventors of his time. He has not only elevated himself to the highest
position among inventors, but he has shown beyond doubt the possi-
bility of a colored man inventing as well as one of any other race.

The following appeared in the American Catholic Tri-
bune, April 1, 1887 (Cincinnati, Ohio):

Mr. Woods, who is the greatest electrician in the world, still continues
to add to his long list of electrical inventions.

The latest device he invented is the Synchronous Multiplex Railway
Telegraph. By means of this system, the railway despatcher can note
the position of any train on the route at a glance. The system also pro-
vides means for telegraphing to and from the train while in motion.
The same lines may also be used for local message without interference
■with the regular train signals.

This system may be used for other purposes. In fact, two hundred
operators may use a single wire at the same time. Although the messages
may be passing in opposite directions, they will not conflict with each
other.

In using the devices there is no possibility of collisions between trains,
as each train can always be informed of the position of the other while
in motion. Mr. Woods has all the patent office drawings for these de-
vices, as your correspondent witnessed.

112 MEN OF MARK.

The patent office has twice declared Mr. Woods prior inventor of the
induction railway telegraph as against Mr. Edison, who claims to be the
prior inventor. The Edison & Phelps company are now negotiating a
consolidation with the Wood's Railway Telegraph company.

It is recorded that a very distinguished preacher said:
"If everything the Negro had invented was sunk at the
bottom of the sea, the world would not miss them, and
would move on as before." This was not true then, is not
true now, and will be less so in the future. Hundreds of
slaves invented instruments which have been taken by
their masters and patented, and many others for want of
means to put their inventions through the patent office and
manufacture them, have sold their knowledge for almost
a "mess of pottage." The future will bring forth men who
will yet astonish the world with inventions of labor-
saving character, and add materially to the wealth of the
nation, by producing those instruments which will decrease
manual labor, multiply articles more rapidly, facilitate
communication and benefit mankind.

, ^JSMI#pf^>

J. A. BROWN.

Jeremiah a. brown. Hi

CHAPTER VI.
HON. JEREMIAH A. BROWN.

Legislator— Carpenter and Joiner— Clerk— Deputy Sheriff— Turnkey and
Letter-Carrier.

HON. JEREMIAH A. BROWN, or as he is familiarly
called "Jere," was the first child of Thomas A. and
Frances J. Brown, Pittsburgh, Allegheny county, Pennsyl-
vania. In that city on the fourteenth of November, 1841,
the subject of our sketch first saw the light of day. His
younger days were spent in that city where he attended
school, having among his classmates such men as the Rev
Benjamin T. Tanner, D. D., Hon. T Morris Chester, James
T Bradford of Baltimore, Maryland, and many other dis-
tinguished men, who are now prominently before the peo-
ple. He continued in the pursuits of knowledge with these
until about his thirteenth year, when he accompanied his
father as a steamboatman on our Western rivers. This
avocation engaged his attention until his seventeenth year,
when he became very much imbued with the importance of
the advancement of himself in such a particular as to secure
to him the possibilities of a livelihood. To this end he
learned a trade, choosing that of a carpenter and joiner.
At the close of his seventeenth year he entered the shop of
James H. McClelland, Esq., as an apprentice. This gentle-
man was the foremost builder in that city at the time

114 MEN OF MARK.

and a gentleman known far and wide for his interest in
the advancement of the colored people. Upon his entrance
into this shop, it was the immediate signal for a number
of the employees quitting work, such was the prejudice ex-
isting against a colored boy entering upon any of the
trades ; but Mr. McClelland promptly filled their places,
with the remark: "that that boy will stay in this shop
until he learns the trade, if I have to fill it with black
mechanics from the South." Thus was the backbone of
prejudice broken by this bold stand, and our young man
remained and finished his trade with honor to himself,
his race, and his friendly employer. After finishing his
apprenticeship, his parents decided to remove to Canada
West, believing that it would be beneficial to the children,
of whom they had six, to be under a government that did
not sanction human slavery. They desired to take their
children away from its blighting and withering effects;
not as practiced in its enormities, but as sanctioned by
the laws of Ohio, which were then known as the "black
laws," and against which he has had an opportunity to
battle in the Legislature of Ohio. These black laws were
very obnoxious to the colored citizens and have con-
stantly provoked unlimited antagonism from them and
their ardent white friends. Young Brown accompanied
them to Canada and settled near Chatham, Ontario. Upon
the inauguration of the Civil War he returned to the
United States and located in St. Louis, Missouri, and
again returned to steamboating, but from time to time
paid visits to his parents.
January 17, 1864, he was married to Miss Mary A.

JEREMIAH A. BROWN. 115

Wheeler, of Chatham, Ontario, a sister of Hon. Lloyd
G. Wheeler, of Chicago Illinois, and the Rev Robert
F Wheeler, of Hartford, Connecticut. Returning to St.
Louis, he remained there a short time and then he decided
to settle in the State of Ohio. With .that end in view he
went there in 1869 or 1870, stopping at Wilberforce, Ohio,
to which place his parents had removed for the purpose of
educating their youngest children. After prospecting in
several cities in the southern part of Ohio, he determined
upon Cleveland as the place where he would locate and lay
the foundation for a useful and happy life ; and here he
has remained ever since. A few years' residence found him
ail active participant in the political field. His first po-
litical position was a bailiff of the probate court of that
county ; then he was deputy sheriff and turnkey of the
county prison for four years, and clerk of the "City Boards
of Equalization and Revision." Then he obtained a posi-
tion in the postoffice as letter-carrier and remained in the
employ of the general government until the fall of 1885,
when he secured the nomination on the Republican ticket
as representative in the Ohio Legislature from Cuyahoga
county, being elected by nearly three thousand majority
over the highest competitor on the Democratic ticket — an
honor by no means small. His career has been short, and
yet long enough to show that he has made due effort to
wipe out those prescriptive laws of the State which we
have spoken of above. He made a telling speech on the
subject March 10, 1886, a bill having been introduced by
the Hon. Benjamin W Arnett. Said he:

116 MEN OF MARK.

All the colored man desires, Mr. Speaker, is that he be given the same
legislation that is accorded to other men. No man can deny that we
have proven ourselves other than true, patriotic and honorable citizens.
Going back to the early days of the history of our country, where the
picture is presented of the black man , in person of Crispus Attucks shedding
his blood, the first spilt in the great American war for freedom, we are
forced to stand appalled at that country's ingratitude. When, again, I
bring in thisgalax}- of bright lights, Benjamin Banneker, the great mathe-
matician, and those brave men of my race who fought, bled and died for
my country in the War of 1812, 1 ask you, gentlemen, is such ostracism the
reward for that heroism and devotion ? But when I contemplate the ac-
tions of the American Negro on the battlefield of the South — at the many
scenes of carnage in which he was engaged during the late War of the
Rebellion — with what heroism he performed deeds of valor, showing and
demonstrating his ability even at the cannon's mouth, my very heart
bleeds for the foul blot heaped upon the countless thousands of black
men, who laid their lives upon their country's altar tor the estayfehment
and the perpetuity of this government. In that Southland my race put
on the blue, shouldered their muskets, and to-day their bones lie bleach-
ing on dozens of battlefields, where they were massacred by those who
sought to destroy this fair land. What, gentlemen, I ask you, is the
reward Ohio gives those of her black sons whose bones are scattered
there ?

Further on, in reference to these black laws, he says :

Repeal them, and to your ensign will cluster the friendship of my race-
redress our grievances with that power delegated to every American
citizen. Defeat this bill, and the wrath of the colored voters will bury
you beneath their ballots cast by as loyal citizens as the sun of Heaven
looks down upon. Repeal them, and in after years when we show our
children these obnoxious and pernicious laws, explaining to them the dis-
advantages we were subjected to, by and under them, we can teach them
to love and venerate the memories of those who were instrumental in
giving us equal facilities with our more than favored brethren.

Mr. Brown is connected with the Masonic fraternity of
Ohio, by whom he is highly honored and respected, as is

JEREMIAH A. BROWN. 117

readily shown by the numerous positions he has held. For
a number of years he has held, and is at this time holding,
the grand secretaryship of the Grand Lodge F A. A. M. of
the Grand Chapter R. A. M. ; Grand Recorder of the Grand
Commandery of Knights Templars and of the order of
High Priesthood ; he is also a member of the Carpenters'
and Joiners' Brotherhood of America ; believing that or-
ganization, if good for white men, is equally, if not more,
beneficial to the black men. His early education was ac-
quired in the common schools of his native State, with a
short course in the Avery College of Allegheny, Pennsyl-
vania. At that time the facilities and opportunities for
acquiring an education were far below what are now in
vogue. There were no opportunities for black men other
than situations of a menial and degrading character to be
obtained ; but he, imbued with the firm determination to
enter the race of life, succeeded in arriving at a point
where he can be called a successful man, and has indeed
risen from the carpenter's bench, and a common laborer on
a steamboat, to the distinguished position of a lawmaker
of the State of Ohio. His religious training was under
the A. M. E. Church while a youth, but he is not connected
with any denomination now, but attends the Congre-
gational Church, the Sabbath school of which is and has
been under the superintendency of his wife for about eight
years. In financial affairs he has succeeded moderately,
being worth probably five thousand dollars. May his life
and success be some encouragement for those who find life
hard and labor become unprofitable.

118 MEN OF MARK.

VII.

WILLIAM CALVIN CHASE, ESQ.

Editor of the Washington Bee — Vigorous and Antagonistic Writer —
Politician — Agitator.

WHATEVER maybe said for or against Mr. Chase, it
can well be remarked that he is a true friend, an untir-
ing enem}% a defender of his race, and a lover of his home.
Mistakes he has made, no doubt, and yet they were in be-
half of his convictions or when he has been mistaken as to
the justice of the cause which promoted him to act. He
has led a life of agitation, turmoil and combats, and has
taken and given many blows, and, like the "Black Knight"
of Scott's matchless 'Ivanhoe,' he has unhorsed many a
Front-de-Boeny and Athelstane — using both sword and
battle-axe. Relying as I do on his written views, news-
paper articles and other material before me, I have
attempted to furnish the facts with little comment. But
let it now be said that while Mr. Chase may differ from any
one, yet he is a pleasant and agreeable companion at any
time, and those from whom he has differed are all distin-
guished friends of his. His paper has a motto which
greatly interprets the man, viz: "Honey for friends and
stings for enemies." The next birthday of Mr, Chase will
occur on February 2, 1888, when he will be thirty-four
years of age. He is still a very young man. His father,

W. C. CHASE.

WILLIAM CALVIN CHASE. 119

William H. Chase, was a blacksmith, and one of the lead-
ing citizens of Washington, District of Columbia, during
his day. He was shot by a man named Charles Posey, in
1863, who called at his place of business, pretending that
he wanted him to examine a revolver, claiming that it was
the one that was used by a man who killed a woman in
the southern section of the city. Posey said the revolver
was not loaded; but as soon as Mr. Chase was handed, he
refused it, and told him to take it away, it might do
harm, and before he had finished this remark the deadly
weapon went off and he was shot through the heart. His
own brother (Chase's) immediately asserted that it
was an accident. Very soon after his death, and before
any of Mr. Chase's immediate family arrived, he was
robbed of every cent he had in his pockets. The death of
Mr. Chase left his widow with six small children. Young
Chase being the only boy, had many hardships to encoun-
ter, as will be seen in the history of his life. His mother
was a Lucinda Seaton of Virginia, a daughter of one of
the most aristocratic colored families of that State, and
who is at this time one of the leading citizens of Washing-
ton. She is a woman of determined will, who has suc-
ceeded in educating her children. One is married to Rev.
E. W Williams, principal of Ferguson's Academy, which
she established, and lives in Abbeville, South Carolina;
two are teaching in the public schools of Washington ; an-
other is employed in the government printing office at
Washington, and has the reputation of having excelled a
steam folding machine in folding papers.
During the struggle of Mrs. Chase to educate her chil-

1 20 MEN OF MARK.

dren, she met with opposition on all sides, mainly from her
husband's relatives, some of whom brought suits, aggre-
gating eight thousand dollars, against her. William H.
Chase was also a musician, and it is said that he performed
skillfully on the violin and bass violin, the latter of which
was the cause of a lawsuit in the Orphan's court. The
instrument was left to his son, and at the time of the death
of Mr. Chase, his nephew had it in his possession, and de-
clined to give it up until forced to do so by order of the
court. Young Chase did not take to music ; his ambition
was journalism. To be successful in that, he knew that it
was necessary to acquire a good education. He was only
ten years old at the death of his father, and knowing that
his mother had a heavy responsibility on her, he began to
sell newspapers. The prejudice against colored newsboys
was so great that they were not allowed by the white
newsboys to come where they were. Chase managed to
receive his papers through a colored gentleman who was
employed by the Star Publishing Company, by the name
of George Johnson, who did all in his power to aid him.
Young Chase always knew how to ingratiate himself in
the good graces of those who had charge of newspapers,
so much so that he succeeded when others failed. He was
well known around every newspaper office of any promi-
nence in Washington, and became one of the most popular
newsboys in the city Before the death of his father, he
attended the private school of John F Cook, present col-
lector of taxes in the District of Columbia. Leaving this
school after the death of his father, he began his noted
career as a newsboy He would sell papers before school

WILLIAM CALVIN CHASE. 121

in £ he morning, and after it in the afternoon. While so
doing, he met a white lady who became impressed with his
manners, and she asked him if he did not want a place;
he said he did. She gave him her card and requested him
to call at her boarding place the next day. Calling as re-
quested, he was given a pen and ink to write his name ; he
could not do so, but in less than three days he accom-
plished the task. He was but eleven years old then. Still
more impressed was the lady ; she secured him a place
with Holley & Brother, wholesale hat manufacturers in
Methuen, Massachusetts. Not caring much for the busi-
ness, he attended a white school taught by a lady named
Mrs. Swan. He remained there some time, and finally
wrote to his mother to allow him to come home. So ap-
pealing was his letter that his mother consented. It was
in this town that Chase conceived the importance of an
education ; there, too, he got an idea of the printing busi-
ness, and his ambition continued to force him to get an
education to enable him to become a useful man. He
declared when a boy, that he would some day become
an editor.

On returning home he took up selling papers again, making
himself a kind of utility boy around newspaper offices, and
got a good idea of newspaper business. He left the public
school and entered the Howard University Model School,
"B" class, and remained in that department two years,
passed a successful examination, and was recommended by
his teacher as qualified to enter the preparatory department.
During his stay in Howard University I was his teacher
for a short while, and found him one of the brightest in the

122 MEN OF MARK.

class. His wife was also a pupil of mine. Just as he was
about to enter college he received an appointment in the
government printing office, at which place he remained two
years. He did not get the place promised by the public
printer ; for this, and injustice to the colored employees in
the office, he assigned as good reasons for denouncing the
public printer, which he did. This was his first public
act, although prior to this he had made himself prominent
in politics and was recommended for a consulship, having
been endorsed by the most prominent Republican cam-
paign organizations in the city, by members of Congress,
and Senator Thomas W Ferry of Michigan. After leav-
ing the government printing office he filed charges with the
President against the public printer, A. M. Clapp, and in-
troduced a resolution in the Hayes and Wheeler campaign
club, of which he was secretary. Colored men under Clapp-
called a meeting for the purpose of denouncing Chase and
refuting his charges against Clapp ; but Chase arrived at
the hall just as the resolution was about to pass, and told
them that if such a resolution was adopted he would ex-
pose all those who had urged him to denounce Mr Clapp
on account of his injustice to the Negro. The resolution
did not pass. He gives the following account of the
rupture between himself and Mr Douglass :

Mr. Frederick Douglass, who had been appointed United States marshal
by President Hayes, heard that I was to be given an appointment, said to
me that he would like to have me in his office, ' ' and as the President is to give
you an appointment," said Douglass, "tell him if he (President Hayes) will
send me a letter, I will appoint you." I called on President Hayes and
informed him of what Mr. Douglass had said. The President, after looking
over my papers, wrote a personal letter to Mr. Douglass. The letter was

WILLIAM CALVIN CHASE. 123

handed to him by me. The " Old Man Eloquent " said, " Ah ! Mr. Chase,
you have caught me on the fly. Come in and I will see what lean do for
you." After entering Mr. Douglass' office, he said, " Chase, call in, in a
few days ; I am going to discharge a man and put you on." In the mean-
time Mr. Clapp, who had been requested to resign his office, wrote to
Mr. Douglass and informed him that he had heard that the President had
recommended me to him for an appointment ; that the charges I made
against him were false. In reply Mr. Douglass wrote to Mr Clapp and
said : " Although the President has requested me to appoint Mr. Chase,
I don't know whether I shall do it or not." I was informed of the letter
of Mr. Douglass by a colored man and a friend of his, employed in the
press room of the government printing office, to whom Mr. Clapp read
the letter. I called on Mr. Douglass and informed him of the letter writ-
ten to Mr. Clapp, and before Mr. Douglass replied, his son Lewis, then,
deputy marshal, denied it. I said that such a letter was written, and
anyone who attempted to deny it was a liar. L. Douglass said: "I
won't appoint you now, any way." I said it made no difference to me,
and demanded that the letter sent to Mr. Douglass by the President be
returned to me, and said that I would inform the President that he refused
to appoint me, after having promised. Mr. Douglass said " no, as the
President's letter was a personal one to him." I then asked for a
copy of the' letter, at the request of ex-mayor Bowen. Mr. Douglass
declined. I had become somewhat noted as a newspaper correspondent,
and in every letter to the Boston Observer I remembered Mr. Douglass,
and would paragraph him in the most pointed manner, and they would
appear weekly, greatly to the discomfort of Mr. Douglass and much to
my gratification. I returned to President Hayes, but before seeing him
talked with his private secretary, Mr. W. K. Rodgers. I was given a card
to the President and related to him the actions of Mr. Douglass. The
President seemed to be somewhat indignant, and said that Mr. Douglass
had nothing to do with the action of the Invincible Club against Mr.
Clapp. He gave me a letter to the postmaster-general. Six months
later Mr. Douglass met me in the presence of Captain 0. S. B. Wall, and
seemed to be greatly aggrieved at the letters written by me to the Bos-
ton Observer, and asked me what I was doing. I told him ; whereupon
he invited me to call and see him. I called and told Mr. Douglass that
the President had given me a letter to Postmaster-General Key. Doug

124? MEN OF MARK.

lass volunteered to endorse the President's recommendation. While my
appointment was pending, some of my enemies heard that the postmaster
intended to appoint me to an important position. To defeat this, an
anonymous letter, denouncing the President's "Southern Policy," was
written and the name of the secretary of the Hayes and Wheeler Invinci-
ble Club signed. The letter stated that I denounced the President's policy
and was organizing a new African party, which would prove detrimental
to the President and the Republican party. This letter was sent to the
postmaster, and I failed to get the appointment.

Although the Boston Observer had suspended, a new
paper had been started, known as the Washington Plain-
dealer, edited by Dr. King, a West Indian. Mr. Chase
was made reporter and the " Chit-Chat " editor. He was
considered a valuable news and society editor. Not being
satisfied with the policy of the paper, he resigned and
turned his interest over to A. St. A. Smith and A. W De
Leon. Mr. Douglass became a supporter of the Plain-
dealer. Mr. Chase turned his attention to the manage-
ment of the public schools and endeavored to reform them.
He claimed to know of immorality existing in the schools
and prepared several specifications of charges against cer-
tain trustees. Commissioner Dent requested the trustees,
against whom these charges were made to answer them.
They were all denied, but were proven by Mr. Chase.
One of the trustees was removed, but the other was re-
tained, owing to some doubt on the part of the commis-
sioners, as this trustee had offered the Colored Normal
School bill which would have benefited the colored peo-
ple. Chase called a public meeting and charged these men
openly with having corrupted the schools. The meeting
was packed by the friends of the trustees with society

WILLIAM CALVIN CHASE. 125

friends. These were charged by Mr. Chase with attempt-
ing to hide corruption and keeping a set of corrupt men in
office. The meeting was taken from Mr. Chase and his
friends, and resolutions adopted endorsing the trustees.
Notwithstanding this, Mr. Chase filed his charges and
proved them. Previous to this Mr. Douglass had made
up with Mr. Chase, but Mr. Douglass had been informed
by one of the trustees that Mr. Chase was using the letter
sent by Mr. Douglass to Postmaster-General Key in con-
nection with the charges against the trustees. Mr. Doug-
lass came out in the following card in the National Repub-
lican of Washington :

Washington, District of Columbia, September 25, 1876.

To whom it may concern :

Whereas, one William C. Chase, is using a letter of mine in connection

with certain charges against the trustees of the public schools, I desire

to say that I have lost confidence in said Chase and withdraw my letter

of endorsement of him.

Very Respectfully, etc.

Frederick Douglass.

Mr. Chase said in a public speech "that Mr. Douglass
knew that he was using no letter of his." The letter re-
ferred to was on file in the postoffice department, and was
not withdrawn until after the appearance of Mr. Douglass'
card, which was certified to by General 0. P Burnside, the
disbursing officer of that department. During this fight
President Hayes had given Mr. Chase another letter, this
time to the district commissioners, for an appointment.
Captain Phelps, one of the commissioners, opposed Mr.
Chase's appointment on representations made to him by
the friends of the trustees, while Commissioner J. Dent

126 MEN OF MARK.

favored it and would listen to nothing said by his enemies.
Mr Chase, however, did not secure the appointment.
Presuming that he would give the President a rest for a
while, he accepted the editorship of the Argus, which was
offered him, at that time edited by Charles N. Otey, one of
brainiest men known to the colored race. The Argus was the
controlled by a board of directors. Mr. Otey retired and
Mr. Chase appointed to succeed him, with Captain G. W
Graham, business manager. He changed the name of the
paper to that of the Free Lance. The change of the name
excited great feeling among the people, as they knew of the
vindictiveness and determination of Mr. Chase to expose
fraud and get even with those whom he considered enemies.
Nor did he disappoint them. His first attack was made on
Senator John Sherman, then the secretary of the treasury;
"the schools," "police force," and the National Republican
committee for not appointing colored men in the cam-
paign. So great was the feeling of the Republicans against
him, that the board of directors, who were all office-
holders, while they dared not remove Mr. Chase, sold out
the paper to L. H. Douglass, H. Johnson, M. M. Holland,
and others, office-holders, claimed by Mr. Chase to be his
enemies. The sell out of the Argus Publishing Company
greatly pleased his opposers, for the name of Chase was
becoming a household word, and notwithstanding his
many defeats, he conceived the idea that he would sink or
swim in his next attempt.

He went to the President and asked for another appoint-
ment; this time the President put him off; he left, got
additional endorsements from prominent Republicans in

WILLIAM CALVIN CHASE. 127

Virginia, among whom was one of Colonel Sampson P
Bailey, in whose interest he canvassed the Eighth Con-
gressional District, Colonel John F Lewis and many
others. He returned to him and presented a letter which
was referred to his private secretary, who was very favor-
ably disposed towards Mr. Chase. When asked where he
wanted to go, Mr. Chase replied, "Back to the govern-
ment printing office; foreman of the lower paper ware-
house," a position then held by a white man. Mr. Chase
called on Mr. John D. Defrees whose nomination was
pending. He promised to appoint Mr. Chase, but as soon
as it became known that Mr. Chase was to return to that
office, the friends of Mr. Clapp commenced to work on Mr.
Defrees' prejudice. After his confirmation by the United
States Senate, a minor place was offered him, which he
declined. At this time an investigation against Defrees,
and Clapp was instigated by Hon. Ebenezer B. Finley of
Ohio, chairman of the sub-committee on expenditures.
Mr. Chase was subpoenaed by that committee, which be-
came known at the government printing office ; he was
sent for by H. Robert, foreman of the bindery. After this
subpoena he was appointed in the government printing
office, but remained only one week, as the place was not
what he desired. Before Douglass was transferred from
the marshalship to recorder of deeds, a public meeting
was called by the friends of John T Johnson to endorse
him for the place of Douglass. Mr. Chase opposed the
resolution, and asked that Douglass be retained and John-
son be endorsed for recorder of deeds, to which Mr. Doug-
lass was subsequently appointed.

128 MEN OF MARK.

Although Mr. Douglass had been requested not to ap-
point Mr. Chase in his office, he did so eventually This
was considered a victory for Mr. Chase after the publica-
tion of Mr. Douglass' card. While in this office Mr. Chase-
wrote a severe criticism on the 'History of the Negro*
Race' by Colonel G. W Williams, of which Mr. Douglass
was accused; it was in this office that Mr. Chase was
accused of being inspired to criticise and condemn the
political course of Hon. R. Purvis. He was editing the
Bee at the time. He denied all accusations against Mr.
Douglass. A heated correspondence passed between
Messrs. Douglass and Purvis. Mr. Purvis requested
the discharge of Mr. Chase, but Mr Douglass refused to
comply, and suggested that Mr Purvis meet him on equal
grounds and not ask him to do that which would not be
honorable. Mr. Purvis became very indignant at this, and
instigated a criminal libel suit against Mr. Chase, which
was subsequently withdrawn.

Mr Chase was not satisfied with the position in Mr. Doug-
lass' office, and Hon. B.K.Bruce, who was a staunchfriend
of his, was accompanied by Mr. Douglass to see the secre-
tary of war, Hon. R. T Lincoln, to obtain a better place-
It is said that instead of Mr. Douglass recommending Mr.
Chase, he recommended some one else, which greatly em-
barrassed Mr. Bruce, who requested Mr. Chase to go with
him to see Mr. Lincoln. Two weeks later Mr. Chase was
notified to appear in examination, after which he received
a probationary appointment for four months, at the end
of which, his appointment was made permanent. Then his
thoughts were turned to the law department of Howard

WILLIAM CALVIN CHASE. 123

University, where he remained one year, when he was asked
to enter the Virginia Republican canvass, which he did,
and which necessarily compelled him to give up the study
of law He took an active part in the campaign of '84,
both in person and with his paper, the Bee. In 1885, he
went as one of the delegates from the convention of colored
citizens to President Cleveland, to request him to review
the Emancipation Day parade. At the conclusion of re-
marks by Mr. Chase, the President produced a copy of the
Bee containing the following article :

MURDER AND ASSASSINATION.

We are constrained to say that the time has come when murder and
the assassination of black Republicans in the South must cease. The
time has come for the Negroes and loyal white people of this country to
show to the world that there is purity in American politics. In the State
of Louisiana, a few days ago, the most cowardly and bloody murders
were committed. Innocent colored Republicans were shot down by
Democrats like dogs. The same was a repetition of the past brutalities,
when helpless colored female virgins and babes were snatched from their
beds and murdered. The scene in the South on last Tuesday has
raised the indignation of over five millions of true black American citi-
zens. It is time for every American Negro in the South to make an appeal
to arms and fire every Democratic home where Negro-killers live, from a
palace to a hut, in retaliation for the foul and dastardly murders that
were committed in the South. We speak without fear and in de-
fense of the helpless Negro. It is far more noble to die the death of a
freeman than an ignominious slave. The hundred and fifty-three elec-
toral votes from the South were obtained through theft and assassination ;
schemes of the most outrageous character were resorted to ; Negroes
murdered ; ballot boxes stuffed ; peaceable citizens were imprisoned
to prevent them from exercising the rights of elective franchise. Under
these circumstances it will cost the lives of millions to inaugurate Grover
Cleveland.

Mr. Chase informed the President that he was the author

130 MEN OF MARK.

of the article; that it was written in the heat of the Presi-
dential campaign ; that the Copiah, Danville, and Louisiana
massacres were the causes of the publication of the article;
but since it was decided that he was the legally elected
President, no paper had been as conservative as the Bee.
Air. Cleveland said that his life was in danger when the
article appeared; he condemned it and called upon all other
citizens to do likewise. Nearly every paper in the country
had something to say The Democratic papers were loud
in their condemnation of Mr. Chase, and in all directions of
the city, groups of persons could be seen discussing " Chase
and the President."

Many Republicans who knew that what Chase said
was true, were among those who condemned him. At
the request of the President, Mr. Chase sent him different
copies of his paper, and it was thought that this would
tend to appease him, as Mr. Chase had supported him
after his inaugural address, which contained some kind
words in behalf of the Negro. On the twenty-fifth of April,
about ten days after Mr. Chase had called on the Presi-
dent, he received his discharge from the War Department,
by order of the President and W C. Endicott, secretary
of war. Long before the ascendency of the Democratic
party, attempts had been made to have Mr Chase dis-
charged. These charges had no effect with Secretary Lin-
coln as Senator Bruce frustrated them. Mr Chase was
elected one of the vice-presidents of the Louisville conven-
tion, and was first to nominate Rev W J Simmons, presi-
dent of the National Press convention, to which he was
elected, and was himself elected historian ofsaid association,

WILLIAM CALVIN CHASE. 131

August 4, 1886. General Logan said that "Mr-. Chase
was one of the brightest young men he knew, and one
who will succeed." Mr. Chase has been indicted for libel
five times and convicted once, the fine being fifty dollars.
He was married January 28, 1886, to Miss Arabella V
McCabe, a very accomplished lady in music and literature.
His wedding was one of the grandest that ever took place
in Washington. Presents were received from all parts of
the country. He is now editor of the Washington Bee,
which is flourishing. His office is fitted up in style, all the
material of which is his own. Although the fights be-
tween Messrs. Chase and Douglass were bitter, they sub-
sequently became friends, and for three successive years
Mr. Douglass was elected Emancipation orator through
the influence of Mr. Chase. He had become so popular
that a young lady, Miss Susie Brown, named her school
for him. On account of his great height and massive
form, he is often called a "long, narrow, slender slice of
night." This name was given him by the Sunday Capital.
In the press convention of 1880, held in Washington, he
was the only editor North who read a paper favoring
separate schools ; when he had finished, his address was
endorsed by the entire Southern press, without one ex-
ception.

His report at the Press convention, on Southern out-
rages, was highly commended by the Philadelphia Press.
Mr. Chase is a determined man and has an undaunted dis-
position, and will never give up as long as there is a fight-
ing chance. He delights to have a broil on hand, and seems
never happier than when he hears the shouts of battle

132 MEN OF MARK.

and the clash of arms. The Bee was foremost in the fight
concerning the Matthews-Recorder-of-Deeds-muddle. Mr.
Chase made a gallant fight, which, while it did not secure
the nomination of Mr. Matthews, whipped the Senatorial
children soundly and compelled them to confirm Mr. Trot-
ter. They did not dare furnish the occasion for another
battle. They dared not go home with the Bee behind them.
They had felt its sting already and did not care to con-
tinue to need it further. A full statement of the case will
be found under the name of Mr. J. C. Matthews. Truly
did he furnish "stings for the enemies " of the race.

JAMES W HOOD. 133

VIII.

REV JAMES W HOOD.

Bishop of the A. M. E. Zion Church — Church Organizer and Builder —
Assistant Superintendent of Public Instruction — His Many Contests
For Civil Rights on Steamboats and Cars.

ONE of the most influential men in this country is
Bishop Hood. His labors have been crowned with
abundant success, and his acknowledged ability marks him
as a special favorite. He has a large amount of what is
called character. He is the son of a preacher, and his life
shows that all "preachers' sons " are not bad. The names
of his parents deserve to be mentioned. The family con-
stituted one of the thirteen families who founded the
separate Methodist church in Wilmington, Delaware. He
was born in Kennett township, Chester county, Pennsyl-
vania, May 30, 1831. At the age of twenty-five, being
converted, he felt a call to preach the gospel. In 1859 he
was received on trial in the New England conference of the
A. M. E. Zion church. In 1860 he was ordained deacon
and sent to Nova Scotia missions. The year 1863 found
him stationed at Bridgeport, Connecticut. This same
year he was sent to North Carolina, where he now lives
"as the first of his race appointed as a regular missionary
to the Freedmen in the South."
He has founded in North Carolina, South Carolina and

134 MEN OF MARK.

Virginia over six hundred churches, and erected under his
supervision about five hundred church buildings. He was
elected bishop of the General Conference which held its
session in North Carolina, in 1872 He was elected amem-
ber of the Ecumenical Conference, in London, in 1881.
He has published a volume of sermons, to which Rev At-
ticus G. Haygood, agent of the Slater fund, has written a
complimentary introduction in which he says :

These sermons speak for themselves; their naturalness, their clearness,
their force and their general soundness of doctrine and wholesomeness of
sentiment, commend them to sensible and pious people. I have found
them as useful as interesting. Those who still question whether the
\egro in this country is capable of education and refinement, will modify
t heir opinion when they read these sermons, or else they will conclude
that their author is a very striking exception to what they assume is a
general rule. Bishop Hood entertains many broad and important views
as to the wants, duties and future of his people. He believes that their
best interests are to be conserved in preserving the race from admixture
with other bloods. They should, he thinks, hang together, and he is per-
suaded that if his people are to succeed permanently and broadly in this
country, they must largely work out their own salvation.

He has twenty-one very able and comprehensive sermons
in the book, well worth the reading. Besides peculiarly
striking sermons by Bishops S. J. Jones, J. J. Moore, J. P
Thompson, Thomas H. Lomax, some of the themes
treated in Bishop Hood's book, are "The Claims of the
Gospel Alessage;" "Personal Consecration;" "Divine
Sonship;" "The Sequence of Wondrous Love;" "Why
was the Rich Man in Torment?" "The Streams which
Gladden God's City;" " The Glory Revealed in the Chris-
tian Character; " "David's Root and Offspring, or Venus
in the Apocalypse."

JAMES W HOOD. 135

Bishop Hood went to North Carolina in January, 1864.
At Newbern, during that year, in the absence of the chap-
lain, he preached to the colored troops and was often
called "chaplain," but he never held the commission as
such. He went there as missionary, under General Butler's
invitation to the churches to send missionaries into his
department. Newbern was twice attacked after he went
there, so that he understands what it is to be under Con-
federate fire. Among the "first " conventions, if not the
first of them all, of colored men in the South, was the one
in October, 1865, in Raleigh. In this meeting he was
elected president as the "dark horse." Three other candi-
dates had packed delegations as it appears, and thus de-
feated each other. The opening speech in that convention
was the subject of much comment from the press, some
not very complimentary to the speaker. He was reminded
"that hemp grew in that part of the State." It was the
first time that a black man had so publicly stated that the
Negro was among those who came from one blood, and
among those whom the Declaration of Independence in-
cluded as endowed with inalienable rights, liberty and the
pursuit of happiness; a right to the jury-box, cartridge
box, and ballot box, were among the demands which he
said the colored people would contend for, and that with
the help of God. He was reminded in some of the bitter
papers at the time that he would get all these in one box.
In 1868 he demanded and obtained cabin passage on the
Cape Fear steamers. The agents told him that nothing
but the fact that the city was under military authority
caused the company to yield to his demand. He advised

136 MEN OF MARK.

the bishop not to attempt to take advantage of this, as it
would be the worse for him when the military was with-
drawn. The answer was characteristic of the man. He
said he would enjoy it while he could, and trust the Lord
for the balance. His right, however, has never been ques-
tioned on that river since. This proves what we have
often said, that, if colored men would demand what be-
longs to them they could very many times get it, but be-
cause of their indifference and littleness of soul, they are
often shoved into places where it is a disgrace to go. He
also broke the ice on the railroads in that early day, and in
this respect stood foremost in the Southern States. To
go a little back, he says :

I have been contending for my rights in public conveyances from boy-
hood. Time and again, between '48 and '63 did conductors try to put
me out of the first class cars on the Pennsylvania railroad, but they
never did it. Once I think they would have done it, but a Quaker lady
called on the passengers to interfere in my behalf. 1 was carried out of
the street cars five times in one night in 1857, and, after all, rode from
the corner of Church and Leonard streets up to 28th street in time to
preach, but of course I was a little late. I could give many instances in
which I had to contend, but generalh' made my trip in the car. A thirty-
eight years' fight with railroad conductors seems like a long contest,
from which 1 have come forth without a scar.

Bishop Hood has always been a traveler, more or less,
and has traveled 15,000 miles a year. It is doubtful
whether any man living has had so many railroad con-
tests. He is getting tired and worn out, and avoids the
far South as much as possible on this account, but never-
theless he has opened the way and smoothed the path in
these vears for others, and has opened up to the traveling

JAMES W HOOD. 137

public better accommodations. In 1867 he was elected
as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention of the State
of North Carolina, and took such a prominent part that
the Democrats called the constitution adopted "Hood's
Constitution" until they amended it slightly about 1875.
In this convention he made a speech which was full of
■sarcasm and ridicule of his opponent, a gentleman who
had opposed some measure in which he was interested.
He says :

After all I am compelled to acknowledge that I feel myself to be under
some obligation to the secessionists. I am compelled to acknowledge
that to their folly, in a great measure, we owe our present enfranchisement.
The gentleman from Orange remarked last night that his race has always
occupied a position more elevated than the rest of mankind. I am
astonished at that young man that he has no more regard for his repu-
tation as a historian than to assert such a ridiculous fallacy in the hear-
ing of intelligent gentlemen in the noonday splendor of the nineteenth
century. Does he not know that his ancestors, the ancient Britons,
were in bondage in ancient Rome, in the days of Julius Csesar, and ever
since that day ? Mr. Chairman, the worst that has ever been said of my
people was that they were too ignorant to be anything but slaves ; but
of the Britons it was said that they were too ignorant even to be slaves.
A friend of Julius Caesar, writing to him, urged him not to bring slaves from
Britain, for they were so ignorant that they could not be taught music.
Now I have never heard it said of colored people that they weretoo ignor-
ant to sing. I admit that this is not very flattering to the ancestors of the
gentleman from Cleveland and Orange. Ancestry is something that they
should not go back into , except with their mouths in the dust ; butl don't
blame them for this. It is something they cannot help. I am sorry for
them, but I don't blame them, for springing from such a low origin. I
only think hard of them for making mouths at me.

This speech was considered so valuable that it was used
as a campaign document. It is full of such passages, and

138 MEN OF MARK-

the comment of the press was very favorable, though the
information was easily gained by any one who would take
the pains to read, yet it was considered wonderful because
a colored man showed such an acquaintance with the
history of his race and turned with such grace and
dignity and delivered such a clever shot into the ranks of
his opponents.

The homestead and public schools in this convention
claimed his especial attention, and he was allowed to have
his own way pretty much in regard to these measures. He
believed that a good homestead law would secure the rat-
ification of the constitution, and he was not mistaken. It
proved to be a very popular measure, and he used it for all
it was worth in canvassing. The school law was free from
any hint of condition on account of color. He canvassed
at the time fourteen counties and carried them all for this
constitution, although all but two were regarded as doubt-
ful. He was associated with others, of course, in this can-
vass, but heenjoyedthelion'sshareof attention. Returning
home from a meeting during the Presidential campaign in
1868, he received a commission as agent of the State Board
of Education and assistant superintendent of public in-
struction. This appointment was made without solicita-
tion from himself and friends and without his knowl-
edge. The State Board of Education was composed of
the governor and other State officers, and created the office
and made the appointment, and the first information he
had of it was the receipt of the commission, and an accom-
panying letter asking him to indicate at what time he
could enter upon the duties of the office. His salary was

JAMES W. HOOD. 139

fixed at $1,500 a year. He filled this position for- three
years, having his headquarters at Raleigh, and at the same
time, with the assistance of a subordinate preacher, built
up a strong church at Charlotte, North Carolina, out of
which four others have been formed. He would leave
Raleigh Saturday afternoon and go to Charlotte,
one hundred and seventy-five miles away, preach three
times a day and be back to Raleigh Monday morning.
Sometimes he would not have his boots off from Saturday
morning until Monday night. He generally filled the pulpit
three Sabbaths in the month. One Sabbath in the month
he would remain at Raleigh and divide the time among
Methodist and Baptist congregations. There was no
church of his branch of Methodists in Raleigh at that time,
and he thought it was not fair to use the power of his
office to establish one. During the time he was in office, he
visited the greater portion of the State, lecturing and or-
ganizing schools. He received, unsolicited, a commission
from General 0. 0. Howard, as assistant superintendent
under the Freedmen's Bureau, without pay, except that
he was allowed three dollars a day, when traveling in the
interest of the Bureau, to cover expenses. In 1870 he had
forty-nine thousand colored children in the schools, and
had a colored department established for the deaf, dumb
and blind, and about sixty of those unfortunates, under
care and instruction, gathered from all parts of the
State. Sometimes he had hard work to get parents to
send their children. One blind boy, that he had to go for
several times and who would hide when he heard that the
bishop was in town, is now making his living traveling as

140 MEN OF MARK.

Professor Simmons, the blind organist. The department
formed at that early day has now a brick building worth
$20,000, heated by steam and has every necessary conveni-
ence. It is the best institution for deaf mutes and blind of the
colored people in this country, and yet there is only about
the same number in the institution that he left when he
gave up the office, while the statistics show about eight
hundred in the State. He was about to establish a State
University when the Democrats got control of the Legisla-
ture and legislated him out of office.

The only office he held under the State and National
government was magistrate under a provisional govern-
ment, and deputy collector for a few months. The latter
position he resigned. He was the choice of the colored
delegates for Secretary of State at the Republican State
convention in 1872, as unanimously declared by the
caucus, and declining it he was allowed to name a man
who was nominated and elected. This gentleman prom-
ised to appoint a colored man as chief clerk and he did so.
He never desired a purely secular office and did not regard
his educational position in that light. He was made tem-
porary chairman of the Republican State convention in
1876, and gave such satisfaction that the gentleman who
was selected for permanent chairman wanted to decline in
his favor. He was a delegate for the State-at-large to the
National convention in 1872, which nominated Grant
for his second term. He was Grand Master of the Masons
in his State for fourteen years, and has twice declined
unanimous election since. He was elected and re-elected
Most Eminent Grand Patron of the Order of the Eastern

JAMES W. HOOD. 141

Star, until he quit attending the annual meetings. Besides
he held very many minor offices. He has been High Priest,
D. S. H. P and D., inspector of the Thirty-third degree.
At the great Centennial gathering of all branches of the
Methodist church, black and white, held in Baltimore,
1885, he was elected to preside the first day This body
was presided over by one State governor, and one lieuten-
ant-governor and a number of bishops in turn. He was
elected to preside, but as he was not present, they sent a
telegram for him, but he could not reach there in time.
He was informed that an effort was made to get another
colored man appointed, but a white bishop was finally
selected. Notwithstanding his absence, when called for,
another appointment was made for him, which he filled.
Early in the day a couple of smart black men gave him an
opportunity to show what he knew about parliamentary
usage. His rulings were cheered and for the balance of
the session both white and black tried to keep within the
rules, and only made points of order when somebody was
out of order.

He has been married three times. First, in his twenty
second year, he married Miss Hannah L. Ralph of Lan-
caster City, Pennsylvania, who died of consumption in
1855. In his twenty-seventh year he married Miss Sophia
J Nugent of Washington City By that marriage he had
seven children, four of whom are living, aged respectively
fourteen, sixteen, eighteen and twenty. Three younger
ones are at Zion Wesley College. His last marriage was
celebrated in June, 1877, to Mrs. K. P McKoy of Wil-
mington, North Carolina. By this marriage he had three

142 MEN OF MARK.

children, two living, one five and one seven, and the
youngest one dead. The bishop is a very liberal man, and in
the building of the many churches over which he has had
the oversight in the last twenty years, he has given over
one hundred dollars to a single church and says he has no
idea of the number of churches to which he has given the
sum of twenty-five dollars and upwards. The bishop is a
strict temperance man. From boyhood he has been an
opponent of the liquor traffic, and has ever been ready to
oppose intemperance and slavery He says: "I have been
called crazy on the subject of tobacco and whiskey. I have
been able in some of the conferences over which I have pre-
sided to influence men who were not teetotalers to be-
come such, and large numbers have discontinued the use
of tobacco. Rev Jacob Adams, leading minister of the New
York conference, visited the Central North conference at
its last session and said : "That for intelligence and sobri-
ety, as well as in many other respects this conference was
the banner conference of the church, as he knew that this
was regarded especially as 'Bishop Hood's Conference.'
It having been said that if he winked, the men in it would
nod, it can be readily seen that he was paying a high
compliment to said conference ; and that being a leading
member of the oldest conference, he knew some of its his-
tory, and it was indeed a compliment that he should
declare in open conference the superiorit}- of this recently
built up Southern work." The Bishop has been connected
with many temperance societies, the most noted of these
is the Good Templars, in a lodge of which he accepted a
position of outside guard to encourage others to accept

JAMES W HOOD. 143

minor places. He was at the same time holding the posi-
tion of Grand Worthy Chief Templar of the State, and
Right Worthy Grand Chaplain of the Grand Lodge of the
-world. While in England he delivered many temperance
speeches'and received many notices of value from the tem-
perance press. He has taken part in every temperance
contest in the State of North Carolina.

Bishop Hood is a big man, and has nerves of iron and
hack-bone of steel; and.it may be well added, a face of flint
which he constantly sets against error and wrong. May
he live many years to continue his arduous labors for the
bettering of his race.

144 MEN OF MARK.

IX.

HON. SAMUEL R. LOWERY.

Silk Culturist — Lawyer and Editor.

NO man in our broad country has exhibited more per-
severance and pluck than this patient toiler. On De-
cember 9, 1886, he was fifty-six years old. A hard worker
and earnest investigator and a courteous gentleman, he
excites my admiration and challenges my good judgment,
even when I think he has suffered enough privation and
sacrifice to make him abandon his project. Nashville,
Tennessee, has no other man exhibiting such a large
amount of that self-sacrificing spirit as shown by Mr.
Lowery His mother was a free woman, a Cherokee
Indian, and his father a slave, living twelve miles from
the said city, and was purchased by his wife ; God bless
the woman. The old gentleman still lives in Nashville,
aged seventy-six. Mr. Lowery lost his mother when only
eight years old. The young man tried to get learning by
working at Franklin College and studying privately un-
der the Rev Talbot Fanning, a famous Christian preacher,
and who is of blessed memory now to Mr Lowery. At
the age of sixteen, our subject taught a school for the first
time and had wonderful success for four years. In 1849 he
united with the church of the Disciples and began preaching
and continued till 1857 One year after this he pastored

S. R. LOWERY.

SAMUEL R. LOWERY. 145

the Harrison Street church of that faith in Cincinnati,
Ohio. He married in 1858, and becoming displeased with
the country, went to Canada where he remained for three
years, when he returned to this country, settling on a
farm which was given him by his father in Fayette county,
Ohio, near West Lancaster. In 1863, when Abraham
Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation was issued, he went
to Nashville, preaching to the freedmen and colored sol-
diers, commanded by Colonel R. K. Crawford, of the
Fortieth United States Colored troops. Not getting his
commission as chaplain, he was transferred to the Ninth
United States heavy artillery as chaplain, appointed by
the officers, where he remained until the close of the war.
Then he moved his family from Ohio to Tennessee, where
he began preaching and teaching school. He commenced
about this time the study of law in Rutherford county,
Tennessee. Political excitement was running very high at
that time, and his school was broken up by the Ku Klux,
and his affairs much disturbed. Being admitted to the bar
he began the practice of law in Nashville, Tennessee. In
1875 he moved to Huntsville, Alabama, and continued
practicing law and preaching. He also practices before
the United States Supreme Court, having been admitted
on the motion of Bel va V Lockwood. His daughter Ruth,
then a girl fifteen years of age, living in Nashville, vis-
ited with her father and sister, Annie L. Lowery, ten years
of age, an exhibition, of silkworms, given by one Mr.
Theobald, and she persuaded her father to purchase her
some silk- worm eggs, which he did. She hatched them in
Huntsville, Alabama, and by the aid of the leaves of the

146 MEN OF MARK.

white mulberry tree, succeeded in starting the enterprise
in which Mr. Lower)- is now engaged. After her death,
which occurred in 1877, her father took up the enterprise.
He now became disgusted with politics and began to
devote his whole time to the silk-worm culture. He vis-
ited Paterson, New Jersey, and there met John Kyle, the
pioneer silk manufacturer in the United States, who en-
couraged him to plant trees and raise the silk cocoons. He
also visited South Manchester, Connecticut, and met Mr.
Frank Cheney, the largest silk manufacturer in the United
States, who also encouraged him, giving him ten years to
succeed in the enterprise. Returning home, he imported
some white mulberry seed from France, from which he has
a fine nursery of mulberry trees in Huntsville, Alabama.
The seedlings grown from this seed have produced the
largest leaves of the kind in the world, and received the
highest prize at the World's Exposition at New Orleans.
Mr. Lower\^ has received but little encouragement from
the people of Huntsville, Alabama, but there are a few
noble exceptions to this rule. Our government paid a
Frenchman a thousand dollars for making his exhibition,
while Mr. Lowery, poor and unaided, made his display,
and triumphed without aid from any source whatever We
give below an extract from the Birmingham (Alabama)
Manufacturer and Tradesman. As the facts are known
by me to be true, they only add additional weight to my
own statements :

Mr. Lowery has visited, the last two seasons, at the Southern Exposi-
tion in Louisville, and received the first medal over several competitors
from other nations. At New Orleans he took a premium over eighteen

SAMUEL R. LOWERY. 147

competitors from China, France, Japan, Italy, Mexico and other exhib-
itors in the United States, and was the only successful propagator,
raising over 100,000 worms and cocoons on the grounds, while his com-
petitors were unable to raise one. He has had forty acres of land given
him near the city of Birmingham to go into the silk culture on a large
scale, and has formed a company composed of the following leading
citizens :

William Burney, Dr. H. M. Caldwell, W. A. Handley, C. C. Brenemen and
himself, directors; with W. A. Handley, as president; C. C. Brenemen,
secretary; William Burney, treasurer, and himself superintendent. He
is an intelligent, conservative man, steadily refusingtomix up in any way
with the disturbing element of his race. He is a lawyer by profession,
and also publishes the Southern Freeman, and he constantly devotes his
time to the advancement of the colored people of the South, and is very
well respected by the people of that city and at his own home in Hunts-
ville. His past experiments in the silk worm culture, with the strong
backing he now has, assures success in the present enterprise. He
owns shares of stock in the undertaking. Birmingham will be known
well as a silk manufacturing center.

Mr. Lowery has an idea that the culture of the silk
worm will take the place of cotton, and give to the women
and children a refining and remunerative employment,
which only takes six weeks in a year, and at the same time
gives two- and three-fold more pay than they could earn all
the year in their present employment.

I have never failed to have him address the students of
the institution over which I have the honor to preside^
and his enthusiasm has made a profound impression on his
hearers ; his genial manners, fund of information, knowl-
edge of men and places, make him a welcome visitor and
agreeable talker. He is yet destined to rank as a great bene-
factor to his race. He has had the faith of Columbus and the
perseverance of Barnard Pallissey Although famous, yet

148 MEN OF MARK.

he has nothing. In conversation with me he said: "My
dear sir, I am very poor. I have not yet struck a bonanza,
but I still hope for a competency yet ahead. Hope is a
large faculty in my organization. I have tried to abandon
it and become indifferent to its inviting fields. When I do,
I am really not myself; yet I know I do not hope vainly or
recklessly." Let us pray that he will yet realize his hopes,
and that his cherished plans may be the means of furnish-
ing to the race the sure road to wealth and refinement.
When success shall fully crown his labors, may the trade-
mark of the firm be his daughter Ruth's picture, as an
honor to the humble girl, who died and did not live to see
the success of her plans. She is worthy of this distinction.

WILLIAM STILL.

WILLIAM STILL. 149

X.

WILLIAM STILL.

Philanthropist — Coal Dealer, and Twenty Years Owner of the Largest
Public Hall Owned by a Colored Man.

THIS distinguished gentleman, who made himself prom-
inent during the dark days of slavery, by helping
escaped fugitives at the peril of his own life, was born
October 7, 1821, in Shamong, County of Burlington, New
Jersey. He was the youngest of eighteen children of Levin
and Charity Still. Mr. Still worked at farming and wood
chopping until he was twenty-three years old, at which
time he left New Jersey, the home of his birth, to stem the
current of life alone. He had no education except what
he had acquired when the weather prevented his working
out of doors, and what he could pick up here and there
from observation, conversation and other odd means.

Being a stranger, he was thrown wholly on his own
resources, as he entered the city of Philadelphia with less
than five dollars in his pocket. This was in 1844. While
quite a boy he had pledged with himself never to touch
intoxicating liquors, which pledge he ever kept; and it
was, no doubt, the corner stone of his prosperity, and the
means by which he has made a man of himself, thereby set

150 MEN OF MARK.

an example for many of those fast young men who hope
to succeed in life, and yet indulge in intoxicating drinks
and riotous living.

He professed Christ many years after. In 1847 he ob-
tained a clerkship in the office of the Pennsylvania Anti-
slavery society, and occupied this position for fourteen
years. He had seen so much of the cruelties of slavery
that his heart was full of sympathy for the oppressed, and
he determined to spend his time and his life in securing
liberty for all over whom his influence might be exerted.
His house was known as a safe and convenient refuge for
all who were making their way to a land of liberty. Two
of his brothers were left in bondage by the flight of their
mother, and were lost to their parents for forty years. This
seemed to have deepened his interest in the slaves, and
yearly hundreds of escaped bondsmen found in him a friend.
He was chairman and corresponding secretary of the
Philadelphia branch of the "Underground Railroad "for
the last decade of slavery. He wrote out hundreds of
narratives from the lips of fleeing fugitives and kept them
secreted in the loft of the Lebanon Seminary till emanci-
pation, when privacy was no longer a necessity These
same narrations make up his famous book, which bears
the name of the corporation for which he labored. He,
alone, of all the thousands who aided the fugitives, suc-
ceeded in preserving anything like a full account of the
workings of the "Underground Railroad," as it was called^
before emancipation.

His book, "The Underground Railroad," which is well'
known bv all readers, was published in 1873. This vol-

WILLIAM STILL. 151

ume of eight hundred and fifty pages, was highly com-
mended by the leading men of the nation and reviewers of
the country. It had a large sale and will continue to sell
for many years to come. It is a valuable book, and every
colored man. ought to have it in his library. We cannot
do better than frequently recur to its pages for the purpose
of measuring our present greatness by looking back on
the path through which we have come, filled with thorns
and precipices. It might not be out of place here to
give one of the narratives which he has recorded in his
book. It will show the character of the work, and revive
in some measure the memories of those days of bitter per-
secutions and trials. The narration which is here selected
is that of prominent personages whose history is largely
familiar to the older people, and cannot fail to be interest-
ing to the younger ones.

A quarter of a century ago, William and Ellen Craft were slaves in the
State of Georgia. With them, as with thousands of others, the desire to
be free was very strong. For this jewel they were willing to make any
sacrifice, or to endure any amount of suffering. In this state of mind
they commenced planning. After thinking of various ways that might be
tried, it occurred to William and Ellen that one might act the part of
master and the other the part of servant.

Ellen being fair enough to pass for white, of necessity would have to
be transformed into a young planter for the time being. All that was
needed, however, to make this important change was that she should be
dressed elegantly in a fashionable suit of male attire, and have her hair
cut in the style usually worn by young planters. Her profusion of dark
hair offered a fine opportunity for the change. So far this plan looked
very tempting. But it occurred to them that Ellen was beardless.
After some mature reflection, they came to the conclusion that this diffi-
culty could be very readily obviated by having the face mufHed up as
though the young planter was suffering badly with the tooth-

1 52 MEN OF MARK.

ache; thus they got rid of this trouble. Straightway, upon further
reflection, several other very serious difficulties stared them in the face.
For instance, in traveling, they knew they would be under the necessity
of stopping repeatedly at hotels, and that the custom of registering
would have to be conformed to, unless some very good excuse could be
given for not doing so.

Here they again thought much over the matter, and wisely concluded
that the young man had better assume the attitude of a gentleman
very much indisposed. He must have his right arm placed very carefully
in a sling ; that would be a sufficient excuse for not registering, etc. Then
he must be a little lame, with a nice cane in his left hand ; he must have
large green spectacles over his eyes, and withal he must be very hard of
hearing and dependent on his faithful servant (as was no uncommon
thing with slaveholders) to look after all his wants.

William was just the man to act this part. To begin with, he was
very "likely looking," smart, active and exceedingly attentive to his
young master — indeed, he was almost eyes, ears, hands and feet for him.
William knew that this would please the slaveholders. The young
planter would have nothing to do but hold himself subject to his ailments
and put on a bold air of superiority. He was not to deign to notice any-
body. If, while traveling, gentlemen, either politely or rudely, should
venture to scrape acquaintance with the young planter, in his deafness
he was to remain mute ; his servant was to explain. In every instance
when this occurred, as it actually did, the servant was fully equal to
the emergency — none dreaming of the disguises in which the underground
railroad passengers were traveling.

They stopped at a first-class hotel in Charleston, where the young
planter and his body-servant were treated as the house was wont to
treat chivalry They stopped also at a similar hotel in Richmond, and
with like results.

They knew that they must pass through Baltimore, but they did not
know the obstacles that they would have to surmount in the "Monu-
mental City." They proceeded to the depot in the usual manner, and the
servant asked for tickets for his master and self. Of course the master
could have a ticket, but "bonds will have to be entered before you can
get a ticket," said the ticket master. " It is the rule of this office to re-
quire bonds for all negroes applying for tickets to go North, and none

WILLIAM STILL. 153

■but gentlemen of well known responsibility will be taken," further ex-
plained the ticket master.

The servant replied that he knew "nothing about that" — that he was
*' simply traveling with his young master to take care of him, he being in
a very delicate state of health, so much so that fears were entertained
that he might not be able to hold out to reach Philadelphia, where he
was hastening for medical treatment;" and ended his reply by saying,
"My master can't be detained." Without further parley the ticket
master very obligingly waived the old " rule" and furnished the requisite
tickets. The mountain being thus removed, the young planter and his
faithful servant were safely in the cars for the city of Brotherly Love.

Scarcely had they arrived on free soil when the rheumatism departed,
the right hand was unslung, the toothache was gone, the beardless face
was unmuffled, the deaf heard and spoke, the blind and the lame leaped
as a hart, and in the presence of the few astonished friends of the slaves,
the facts of this unparalleled underground railroad feat were fully estab-
lished by the most unquestionable evidence.

The constant strain and pressure on Ellen's nerves, however, had tried
her severely, so much so, that for days afterwards she was principally
very much prostrated, although jo\- and gladness beamed from her eyes,
which bespoke inexpressible delight within.

Never can the writer forget the impression made by their arrival. Even
now after a lapse of nearly a quarter of a century, it is easy to picture
them in a private room, surrounded by a few friends — Ellen in her fine
suit of black, with her cloak and high heeled boots, looking, in every
respect, like a young gentleman ; in an hour after having dropped her
male attire and assumed the habiliments of her sex. the feminine was
only visible in every line ana feature of her structure.

Her husband, William, was thoroughly colored, but was a man of
marked natural abilities, of good manners, and full of pluck, and pos-
sessed of perceptive faculties very large.

It was necessary, however, in those days, that they should seek a per-
manent residence, where their freedom would be more secure than in
Philadelphia; therefore they were advised to go to headquarters,
directly to Boston. There they would be safe, it was supposed, as it had
then been about a generation since a fugitive had been taken back from
the old Bay State, and through the incessant labors of William Lloyd

154 MEN OF MARK.

Garrison, the great pioneer, and his faithful coadjutors, it was conceded'
that another fugitive slave case would never be tolerated on the free soil
of Massachusetts. So they went to Boston.

On arriving, the warm hearts of Abolitionists welcomed them heartily,,
and greeted and cheered them without let or hinderance. They did not
pretend to keep their coming a secret or hide it under a bushel ; the story
of their escape was heralded broadcast over the country — North and
South, and indeed over the civilized world. For two years or more not
the slightest fear was entertained that they were not just as safe in Bos-
ton as if they had gone to Canada. But the day the Fugitive Bill passed,
even the bravest Abolitionist began to fear that a fugitive slave was no
longer safe anywhere under the stars and stripes, North or South, and
that William and Ellen Craft were liable to be captured at any moment
by Georgia slave hunters. Many Abolitionists counseled resistance to
the death at all hazards. Instead of running to Canada, fugitives gen-
erally armed themselves and thus said: "Give me liberty or give me
death."

William and Ellen Craft believed that it was their duty as citizens of
Massachusetts to observe a more legal and civilized mode of conforming
to the marriage rite than had been permitted them in slavery, and as Theo-
dore Parker had shown himself a very warm friend of theirs, they agreed
to have their wedding over again according to the laws of a free State.
After performing the ceremony, the renowned and fearless advocate of
equal rights (Theodore Parker), presented William with a revolver and
dirk knife, counseling him to use them manfully in the defense of his wife
and himself, if ever an attempt should be made by his owners, or any-
body else, to re-enslave them.

But, notwithstanding all the published declarations made by the Abo-
litionists and fugitives, to the effect that slaveholders and slave catchers
in visiting Massachusetts in pursuit of their runaway property would
be met by just such weapons as Theodore Parker presented William with,
to the surprise of all Boston, the owners of William and Ellen actually
had the effrontery to attempt their recapture under the Fugitive Slave
laws.

His reasons for writing this book are given in the pre-
face of the edition of 1886, and I cannot but give his own

WILLIAM STILL. 155

words as his apology for placing such a book before the
reading people. There are many of our people who are so
foolish as to desire to rub out all the traces of our past
history, and would do away with all emancipation
celebrations and everything that reminds us of a past,
which though painful and full of bitterness, cannot yet but
be remembered with praise to God that he has permitted
us to pass through these trials and come out more than
conqueror. He very happily refers to the fact in this pre-
face that the bondage and deliverance of the children of
Israel will never be allowed to sink into oblivion. The
world stands, and the Jews do not hang their heads in
shame because of their bondage, but tell it with some
pride, that God, though they were in bondage, did not
forget them, but finally brought them forth and made a
people of them. Quotations are here given because it is
in the line of instruction that is badly needed and which
should be heeded by our people, and he does well to send
these thoughts through the country in each of his books,
that they might influence at least the readers of that sec-
tion in which he says :

Well conducted shops, stores, lands acquired, good farms managed in
a manner to compete with any other, valuable books produced and pub-
lished on interesting subjects — these are some of the fruits which the race
are expected to exhibit from their newly gained privileges.

This gains our highest approval. It is the very thing
for our people to consider. But let me without further
elaboration give a passage in this preface, which one, in
the reading, will find full of truth and instruction.

156 MEN OF MARK.

And in looking back now over these strange and eventful providences,
in the light of the wonderful changes wrought by emancipation, I am
more and more constrained to believe that the reasons which years ago
led me to aid the bondmen and preserve the record of his sufferings, are
to-day quite as potent in convincing me that the necessity of the times
requires this testimony.

And since the first advent of my book, wherever reviewed or read by
leading friends of freedom, the press, or the race more deeply represented
by it, the expressions of approval and encouragement have been hearty
and unanimous, and the thousands of volumes which have been sold by
me on the subscription plan, with hardly any facilities for the work,
makes it obvious that it would, in the hands of a competent publisher,
have a wide circulation.

And here I may frankly state that but for the hope I have always cher-
ished, that this work would encourage the race in efforts for self-eleva-
tion, its publication would never have been undertaken by me.

The race must not forget the rock from whence they were hewn, nor
the pit from whence they were digged.

Like other races, this newly emancipated people will need all the
knowledge of their past condition which they can get.

Those scenes of suffering and martyrdom, millions of Christians were
called upon to pass through in the days of the Inquisition, are still sub-
jects of study and have unabated interest for all enlightened minds.

The same is true of the history of this country. The struggles of the
pioneer fathers are preserved, produced and reproduced, and cherished
with undying interest b}r all Americans, and the day will not arrive while
the Republic exists when these histories will not be found in every
library.

While the grand little army of Abolitionists was waging its untiring
warfare for freedom prior to the rebellion, no agency encouraged thejti
like the heroism of the fugitives. The pulse of the four million of slaves
and their desire for freedom was better felt through "The Underground
Railroad " than through any other channel.

Frederick Douglass, Henry Bibb, William Wells Brown, Rev. J. W.
Logan and others, gave unmistakable evidence that the race had no
more eloquent advocates than its own self-emancipated champions.

Every step they took to rid themselves of their fetters, or to gain edu-

WILLIAM STILL. 157

cation, or in pleading the cause of their fellow-bondsmen in the lecture
room, or with their pens, met with applause on every hand, and the
very argument needed was thus furnished in a large measure. In those
dark days previous to emancipation, such testimony was indispensable.
The free colored men are as imperatively required now to furnish the
same manly testimony in the support of the ability of the race to sur-
mount the remaining obstacles growing out of oppression, ignorance
and poverty.

The angels have recorded the deeds of this noble-hearted
man, and God will reward him. It is impossible to do jus-
tice to those men and women who held their lives as noth-
ing when the cries of the slaves reached their ears. There
was never greater heroism than that shown by William
Still. Think, reader, of the pain his heart has undergone.
Think of the moments of intense agony he bore. Think of
a life of care, suffering and prayer; then tell me we are des-
titute of the finest feelings held by any other race.

They said we were not men, but if not men then -we
have been angels. For indeed the history of our sufferings
and the manner in which we have borne them without rev-
olution and bloodshed, without falling to the depths of
infidelity, but still holding to a trust in God, mark our
career as more than marvelous.

Is it not a wonder that in all these dark shadows we did
not lose our faith in God and cry out, " There is no God " ?
Is it not a wonder that in all these years there was not
stamped out of us every feeling of mercy, generosity and
manhood ?

What could have been expected of a race that was deep in
the well of ignorance, hidden from the light of day ? What
could have been expected of us and our children, except

158 MEN OF MARK.

that we would be brutalized and destitute of all the finer
feelings of our nature.

It does seem as if we were made of finer material than
others, that even so many good men, philanthropists,
strong Christian men, preachers and faithful workers in
every missionary department of life, could have been
gotten out of this race so cruelly treated, so badly de-
spised. Here is an example in the life of Mr Still worthy
of record. In the ' Book of Ages ' how many look back and
thank him for succor, for comfort, for food, for clothing,
for money, and for liberty? This is a wonderful record.
The deeds which were done in his office, the acts of charity,
would almost form, as it would seem, a special volume
among the records of Heaven.

0 God ! We thank Thee for such a man as William Still.
Men who, like their Master, went about doing good. Men
who fulfilled the teachings of the Scriptures and who shall
be on the right hand and hear these words: "Come, ye
blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you
from the foundation of the world. For I was an hungred,
and ye gave me meat : I was thirst}' and ye gave me drink :
I was a stranger and ye took me in: naked and ye clothed
me : I was sick and ye visited me : I was in prison and ye
came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him say-
ing, Lord when saw we Thee an hungred and fed Thee ? or
thirsty and gave Thee drink ? when saw we Thee a
stranger and took Thee in ? or naked and clothed Thee?
or when saw we Thee sick or in prison and came unto
Thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them:
Verilv I say unto you, inasmuch as ye have done it unto

WILLIAM STILL. 159

one of the least of these, my brethren, ye have done-it unto
me."

Mr. Still's name should be in the mouths of all lovers of
philanthropic deeds, and his name is fittingly placed here
that he might be known by the rising generation. His
work is no less eminent than those who were partners
in the labor of love, and yet extreme danger, namely,
Abagail Goodwin, Thomas Garrett, Daniel Gibbons, Lu-
cretia Mott, J. Miller McKim, H. Furness, William Lloyd
Garrison, Lewis Tappan, William Wright, Elijah F Penny-
packer, Dr. Bartholomew Fussell; Robert Purvis, John
Hunn, Samuel Rhoades, William Whipper, Samuel D. Bur-
ris, Charles D. Cleveland, Grace Anne Lewis, Frances Ellen
W Harper and John Needles.

In 1859, when old John Brown with one bold dash
opened fire for freedom at Harper's Ferry, Virginia,
several of his officers who were with him in the hottest
battle at the Ferry, escaped with heavy rewards hanging
over their heads, and sought shelter under the roof of
William Still, who kindly received them. He also com-
forted and ministered unto the wife, daughter and sons of
Brown who had come, utter strangers, to Philadelphia
while the old hero was in prison waiting his execution.
All this was cheerfully done while conscious of the fact
that his deeds of charity were imperiling his own life. In
1850 he recognized one of his brothers who had been
separated by slavery from his mother, when a child
of only six years. In 1860 he left the antislavery office
with the most hearty sympathy and confidence of his
antislavery friends and at once turned his attention to

160

MEN OF MARK.

business of his own. Having some knowledge of the
stove business, he opened a new and second hand stove
store. In less than three years he was well established
and quite successful. In the meantime, the civil war
broke out and the curse of slavery ended unexpectedly
The secretary of war furnished him with a post sutler's
commission at Camp William Penn, at which point col-
ored soldiers were stationed for Pennsylvania. In 1865
he purchased a large lot, built an office and entered
the coal business, and for over twenty years he has
successful1.}- conducted this branch of business, amassing
quite a fortune. He is the owner of Liberty- Hall, the
largest public hall in the country owned by a colored man ;
and to the credit of the race, be it said, that it is well
patronized.

He still keeps up his philanthropic work ; always ready
to help the needy and to contribute of the world's goods
which God has given him in order that others might have
their suffering lessened. He was a member of the Freed-
men's Aid Union and Commission, organized at the close
of the war by the leading philanthropists of the country
to prosecute educational work and aid the newly emanci-
pated generally

For many years he has been vice-president and chair-
man of the board of managers of the "Home for the Aged
and Infirm Colored Persons ' ' in Philadelphia ; also for many
years he has served as a member on the board of trustees
for the "Soldiers and Sailors Orphan Home" and "Home
for the Destitute Colored Children." His interest in the
educational work has been so manifest that he has been

WILLIAM STILL.

selected, and has served for many years, as member of the
board of trustees of Storer College. He has served as an
elder of the Presbyterian church, which position he has

1 02 MEN OF MARK.

XI.

PROFESSOR J. W MORRIS, A. B., A.M., LL.B.

President of Allen University, Columbia, South Carolina — Professor of
Languages.

THE subject of this sketch was born in Charleston,
South Carolina, August 26, 1850. His parents were
John B. Morris and Grace Morris. He was born of free
parents and enjoyed early advantages for education. In
early childhood he was sent to a private school taught by
Simeon Beard, then a distinguished teacher in the city of
Charleston. After the close of the late war he entered the
public schools of his native city, passing through the vari-
Ou. grades of the same, until he left the high school, to
take a collegiate course at Howard University. While at-
tending the public schools he was sent in the afternoons to
learn the printing trade, which he completed under that
celebrated scholar and printer, the late Hon. R. B. Elliott,
who was at that time editor of the Charleston Leader.
Afterwards this paper was merged into the Missionary
Record, edited by the late Bishop R. H. Cain. He was
elected principal of a parochial school, and while in this ca-
pacit v he worked as a compositor on the Missionary Record,
which was a weekly paper

J. W. MORRIS. 163

While a pupil of the Normal school of Charleston he was
twice awarded a prize for proficiency in Latin by that
eminent scholar and instructor, Professor F L. Cardoza,
now of Washington, District of Columbia. Young Morris
evincing, in early life, so great a tact and aptitude for learn-
ing, was sent to Howard University, which institution he
entered in the fall of 1868. After spending six years at the
university, he graduated in June, 1875. While at the
famous seat of learning he was regarded as an excellent
student. At the Junior exhibition of 1874, he took the first
prize awarded his class for oratory.

After graduation he returned to his home in Charleston,
South Carolina. In the fall of 1875 he entered the law
department of the South Carolina University, Columbia,
South Carolina, under the tuition of that celebrated judge
and jurist, Chief-Justice F J. Moses. He graduated with
distinction from this department, December, 1876. He
applied for admission to the Supreme Court of his native
State, and, after passing a most critical and searching
examination, was admitted to practice in all the courts of
the State. His first case was an interesting and promi-
nent one; he won it. He was elected in 1876 one of the
commissioners of public schools for the city of Charles-
ton, but as this office would interfere with his law studies,
he refused to accept the position. He also received in the
county convention of Charleston, the nomination for the
legislature, but, again for the same reasons, refused to
accept.

After much persuasion and the earnest solicitation of
personal friends, he was induced to abandon what prom-

164 MEN OF MARK.

ised to 'be to him a very lucrative practice, to accept the
principalship of Payne Institute, the educational work of
the A. M. E. church in the State. _. He. served for four
years as principal of this institution, until it was merged
into Allen Universitv, a demand being made for a more
central location for the work. ^While principal of Payne
Institute, he was a lay delegate to the Ecumenical Council,
which met in London, England, _ While in Europe he vis-
ited Paris and Geneva, Switzerland. ?

He was now elected professor of mathematics and
ancient languages, principal of Normal and Preparatory
departments, also secretary and instructor of the law
department of the Allen University, which positions he
held until elected president — the position he now holds.
The writer was impressed' -with the quiet unassuming
manners of President Morris while in college at Howard'
University. His "position is only the reward of faithful
toil and well directed effort. He was always in earnest ;
he enjoys fun as well as any man, but his "Life is real ; life
is earnest." He is a fine student, a gifted writer and a
man of high standing.

ROBERT SMALLS.

ROBERT SMALLS. 165

XII.
HON. ROBERT SMALLS.

Congressman— PjJot and Captain of the Steamer Planter.

PHIS daring; and cool headed man was born in Beau-
fort, South Carolina, April 5, 1839; and being a
slave was of course limited in the opportunities for gain-
ing book knowledge ; but some men can no more be bound
than the waves of the ocean, and despite all opposition he
learned to read and write. "Where there's a will there's a
way." In 1851 he moved to Charleston, where he worked
as a "rigger" and thus became familiar with ships and
the life of a sailor by actual experience. He first became
connected with the Planter, a steamer plying in the
harbor of Charleston as a transport in 1861. His further
connection with the steamer is given in the following,
taken from the record of the House Of Representatives,
Forty-seventh Congress, second session, Report No. 1887
The document was a "Bill authorizing the President to
place Robert Smalls On the Retired List of the Navy :"

166 MEN OF MARK.

JANUARY 23, 1883. — RECOMMITTED TO THE COMMITTEE ON NAVAL AFFAIRS
AND ORDERED TO BE PRINTED.

MR. DEZENDORF, FROM THE COMMITTEE ON NAVAL AFFAIRS, SUBMITTED

THE FOLLOWING

REPORT:
[To accompany bill, H. R. 7059.J

The Committee on Naval Affairs, to whom was referred the bill to retire-
Robert Smalls as captain of the Navy, beg leave to report as follows:

This claim is rested upon the very valuable services rendered by Robert
Smalls to the country during the late war. The record of these has
been very carefully investigated, and portions of it are appended, as
exhibits, to this report. They show a degree of courage, well directed by
intelligence and patriotism, of which the nation may well be proud, but
which for twenty years has been wholly unrecognized by it. The follow-
ing is a succinct statement and outline of them :

On May 13, 1862, the Confederate steamboat Planter, the special dis-
patch boat of General Ripley, the Confederate post commander at Char-
leston, South Carolina, was taken by Robert Smalls under the following
circumstances from the wharf at which she was lying, carried safely
out of Charleston Harbor, and delivered to one of the vessels of the
Federal fleet then blockading that port :

On the day previous, May 12, the Planter, which had for two weeks
been engaged in removing guns from Cole's Island to James Island,
returned to Charleston. That night all the officers went ashore and slept
in the city, leaving on board a crew of eight men, all colored. Among
them was Robert Smalls, who was virtually the pilot of the boat, al-
though he was only called a wheelman, because at that time no colored
man could have, in fact, been made a pilot. For some time previous he
had been watching for an opportunity to carry into execution a plan he
had conceived to take the Planter to the Federal fleet. This, he saw, was
about as good a chance as he would ever have to do so, and therefore he
determined not to lose it. Consulting with the balance of the crew
Smalls found that they were willing to co-operate with him, although
two of them afterwards concluded to remain behind. The design was
hazardous in the extreme. The boat would have to pass beneath the
guns of the forts in the harbor. Failure and detection would have been

ROBERT SMALLS. 167

certain death. Fearful was the venture, but it was made. The daring
resolution had been formed, and under command of Robert Smalls, wood
was taken aboard, steam was put on, and with her valuable cargo of
guns and ammunition, intended for Fort Ripley, a new fortification just
constructed in the harbor, about two o'clock in the morning the Planter
silently moved off from her dock, steamed up to North Atlantic wharf,
where Smalls' wife and two children, together with four other women
and one other child, and also three men, were waiting to embark. All
these were taken on board, and then, at 3:25 a. m., May 13, the
Planter started on her perilous adventure, carrying nine men,
five women and three children. Passing Fort Johnson the Planter's
steam-whistle blew the usual salute and she proceeded down the bay.
Approaching Fort Sumter, Smalls stood in the pilot-house leaning out of
the window with his arms folded across his breast, after the manner of
Captain Relay, the commander of the boat, and his head covered with
the huge straw hat which Captain Relay commonly wore on such occa-
sions.

The signal required to be given by all steamers passing out, was blown
as coolly as if General Ripley was on board, going out on a tour of inspec-
tion. Sumter answered by signal, "all right," and the Planter headed
toward Morris Island, then occupied by Hatch's light artillery, and
passed beyond the range of Sumter's guns before anybody suspected any-
thing was wrong. When at last the P/anterwas obviously going toward
the Federal fleet off the bar, Sumter signaled toward Morris Island to
stop her. But it was too late. As the Planter approached the Federal
fleet, a white flag was displayed, but this was not at first discovered, and
the Federal steamers, supposing the Confederate rams were coming to
attack them, stood out to deep water. But the ship Onward, Captain
Nichols, which was not a steamer, remained, opened her ports, and was
about to fire into the Planter, when she noticed the flag of truce. As
soon as the vessels came within hailing distance of each other, the Plan-
ter's errand was explained. Captain Nichols then boarded her, and
Smalls delivered the Planter to him. From the Planter, Smalls was
transferred to the Augusta, the flagship off the bar, under the command
of Captain Parrott, by whom the Planter with Smalls and her crew were
sent to Port Royal to Rear Admiral DuPont, then in command of the
Southern squadron.

168 MEN OF MARK.

Captain Parrott's official letter to Flag Officer DuPont, and Admiral
DuPont's letter to the secretary of the navy are appended hereto.

Captain Smalls was soon afterwards ordered to Edisto to join the
gunboat Crusader, Captain Rhind. He then proceeded in the Crusader,
piloting her and followed by the Planter to Simmons' Bluff, on Wadma-
law Sound, where a sharp battle was fought between these boats and a
Confederate light battery and some infantry. The Confederates were
driven out of their works, and the troops on, the Planter landed and cap-
tured all the tents and provisions of the enemy. This occurred some time
in June, 1862.

Captain Smalls continued to act as pilot on board the Planter and the-
Crusades, and as blockading pilot between Charleston and Beaufort.
He made repeated trips up and along the rivers near the coast, pointing
out and removing the torpedoes which he himself had assisted in sinking
and putting in position. During these trips he was present in several
fights at Adams' Rum on the Dawho river, where the Planter was hotly
and severely fired upon; also at Rockville, John's Island, and other places.
Afterwards he was ordered back to Port Royal, whence he piloted the
fleet up Broad river to Pocotaligo, where a very severe battle ensued.
Captain Smalls was the pilot of the monitor Keokuk, Captain Ryan, in
the memorable attack on Fort Sumter, on the afternoon of the seventh of
April, 1863. In this attack the Keokuk was struck ninety-six times,
nineteen shots passing through her. She retired from the engagement
only to sink on the next morning, near Light House Inlet. Captain Smalls
left her just before she went down, and was taken with the remainder of
the crew on board of the Ironside. The next day the fleet returned to
Hilton Head.

When General Gillmore took command, Smalls became pilot in the
quartermaster's department in the expedition on Morris Island. Hewas
then stationed as pilot of the Stono, where he remained until the United
States troops took possession of the south end of Morris Island, when he
was put in charge of Light House Inlet as pilot.

Upon one occasion, in December, 1863, while the Planter, then under
command of Captain Nickerson, was sailing through Folly Island Creek,
the Confederate batteries at Secessionville opened a very hot fire upon
her. Captain Nickerson became demoralized, and left the pilot-house and
secured himself in the coal-bunker. Smalls was on the deck, and finding

ROBERT SMALLS. 169

out that the captain had deserted his post, entered the pilot-house, took
command of the boat, and carried her safely out of the reach of the guns.
For this conduct he was promoted by order of General Gillmore, com-
manding the Department of the South, to the rank of captain, and was
ordered to act; as captain of the Planter, which was used as a supply-boat
along the coast until the end of the war. In September, 1866, he carried
his boat to Baltimore, where she was put out of commission and sold.

Besides the daring enterprise of Captain Smalls, in bringing out the
Planter, his gallant conduct in rescuing her a second time, for which he
was made captain of her, and his invaluable services to the army and
navj- as a pilot in waters where he perfectly knew not only every bank
and bar but also where every torpedo was situated, there are still other
•elements to be considered in estimating the value of Captain Smalls' serv-
ices to the countrj'. The Planter, on the thirteenth of May, 1862, was a
most useful and important vessel to the enemy. The loss of her was a
severe blow to the enemy's service in carrying supplies and troops to
■different points of the harbor and river fortifications. At the very time
of the seizure she had on board the armament for Fort Ripley. The
Planter was taken by the government at a valuation of $9,000, one-half
of which was paid to the captain and crew, the captain receiving one-
third of one-half, or $1,500. Uponwhat principle the government claimed
one-half of this capture cannot be divined, nor yet how this disposition
■could have been made of her without any judicial proceeding. That
$9,000 was an absurdly low valuation for the Planter is abundantly
shown by facts stated in the affidavits of Charles H. Campbell and E. M.
Baldwin, which are appended. In addition thereto their sworn average
valuation of the Planter was $67,500. The report of Montgomery
Sicard, commander and inspector of ordinance, to Commodore Patter-
son, navy-yard commandant, shows that the cargo of the Planter , as raw
material, was worth $3,043.05; that at anti-bellum prices it was worth
$7,163.35, and at war prices $10,290.60. Forthis cargo the government
has never paid one dollar. It is a severe comment on the justice as well
as the boasted generosity of the government, that, whilst it had received
$60,000 to $70^000 worth of property at the hands of Captain
Smalls, it has paid him the trifling amount of $1,500, and for twenty
years his gallant daring and distinguished and valuable services which
he has rendered to the country have been wholly unrecognized.

170 MEN OF MARK.

The following is the testimony in proof of the facts al-
leged in the bill :

REPORT OF FLAG OFFICER DUPONT.

Flag-Ship Wabash,
Port Royal Harbor, South Carolina, May 14, 1862.

Sir: I inclose a copy of a report from Commander E. G. Parrott,
brought here last night by the late rebel steam-tug Planter, in charge
of an officer and crew from the Augusta. She was the armed dispatch
and transportation steamer attached to the engineer department at
Charleston, under Brigadier-General Ripley, whose barge, a short time
since, was brought out to the blockading fleet by several contrabands.

The bringing out of this steamer, under all the circumstances, would
have done credit to any one. At four o'clock in the morning, in the absence
of the captain, who was on shore, she left her wharf close to the govern-
ment office and headquarters, with Palmetto and Confederate flags fly-
ing, passed the successive forts, saluting as usual by blowing her steam-
whistle. After getting beyond the range of the last gun, she quickly
hauled down the rebel flags and hoisted a white one.

The Onward was the inside ship of the blockading fleet in the main
channel, and was preparing to fire when her commander made out the
white flag. The armament of the steamer is a 32-pounder, or pivot, and
a fine 24-pounder howitzer. She has, besides, on her deck, four other
guns, one 7-inch rifled, which were to have been taken the morning of
the escape to the new fort on the middle ground. One of the four be-
longed to Fort Sumter, and had been struck in the rebel attack on the
fort on the muzzle. Robert, the intelligent slave and pilot of the boat,
who performed this bold feat so skillfully, informed me of this fact, pre-
suming it would be a matter of interest to us to have possession of this
gun. This man, Robert Smalls, is superior to any who have come into
our lines — intelligent as many of them have been. His information has
been most interesting, and portions of it of the utmost importance.

The steamer is quite an acquisition to the squadron by her good ma-
chinery and very light draught. The officer in charge brought her
through Saint Helena Sound, and by the inland passage down Beaufort
river, arriving here at ten o'clock last night.

ROBERT SMALLS. 171

On board the steamer when she left Charleston were eight men, five
women and three children.

I shall continue to employ Robert as a pilot on board the Planter for
the inland waters, with which he appears to be very familiar. I do not
know whether, in the views of the government, the vessel will be consid-
ered a prize ; but, if so, I respectfully submit to the department the claims
of this man Robert and his associates.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

S. F. DuPont,

Flag Officer, Commanding, &c.
Hon. Gideon Welles,

Secretary of the Navy, Washington, D. C.

United States Steamship Augusta,
Off Charleston, May 13, 1862.

Sir : I have the honor to inform you that the rebel armed steamer
Planter was brought out to us this morning from Charleston, by eight
contrabands, and delivered up to the squadron. Five colored women
and three children are also on board. She carried one 32-pounder, and
one 24-pounder howitzer, and has also on board four large guns, which
she was engaged in transporting.

I send her to Port Royal at once, in order to take advantage of the
present good weather. I send Charleston papers of the 12th, and the
very intelligent contraband who was in charge will give you the informa-
tion which he has brought off.

I have the honor to request that you will send back, as soon as con-
venient, the officer and crew sent on board.

I am respectfully, &c, your obedient servant,

E. G. Parrott,

Commander, and Senior Officer present.
Flag Officer S. F. DuPont,

Commanding South Atlantic Blockading Squadron.

War Department,
Quartermaster-General's Office,

Washington, D. C, January 3, 1883.
Sir : Your communication of the twenty-sixth ultimo , in relation to yottr

1 72 MEN OF MARK.

services on the steamer Planter during the rebellion, and requesting copies
of any letters from General Gillmore and other officers on the subject, has
been received. ( ,

The records of this office show that the name of Robert Smalls is re-
ported by Lieutenant-Colonel J. J. Elwell, Hilton Head, South Carolina,
as a pilot, at $50 per month, from March 1, 1863, to September 30,
1863; and from October 1, 1863, to November 20, 186,3, at $75 per
month.

He was then transferred to Captain J. L. Kelly, assistant quarter-
master, November 20, 1863, by whom he was reported as pilot from No-
vember 21 to November 30, 1863. He is reported by that officer in same
capacity from December 1, 1863, until February 29, 1864, at $150 per
month.

The name of Robert Smalls is then reported by Captain Kelly as cap-
tain of the steamer Planter, at $150 per month, from March 1, 1864,
until May 15, 1864, when transferred to the quartermaster in Philadel-
phia.

He is reported by Captains C. D. Schmidt, G. R. Orme, W. W. VanNess,
and John R. Jennings, assistant quartermasters at Philadelphia, as cap-
tain of the Planter, at $150 per month, from June 20, 1864, to
December 16, 1864, when transferred to Captain J. L. Kelly, assistant
quartermaster, Hilton Head, South Carolina, by whom he is reported to
January 31, 1865.

From Februar}- 1, 1865, he is reported as a "contractor, victualing
and manning the steamer Planter."

I respectfulh- inclose herewith a copy of a letter, dated September 10,

1862, from Captain J. J. Elwell, chief quartermaster, Department of the

South, in relation to the capture of the steamer Planter, which is the only

one found on file in this office on the subject.

Ver}- respectfully, your obedient servant,

Alex. J. Perry,

Deputy Quartermaster-General, U. S. A.,

Acting Quartermaster-General.
Hon. Robert Smalls,

Member of Congress, Washington, D. C.

Office of the Chief Quartermaster,
Hilton Head, South Carolina, September 10, 1862.
General: I have this day taken a transfer of the small steamer

ROBERT SMALLS. 173

Planter, of the havy< This is the Confederate steamer which Robert
Smalls, a contraband, brought out of : Charleston on the thirteenth
of May last. The Navy Department, through Rear-Admiral DuPont,
transfers her, and I receipt for her just as she was received from Charles-
ton. Her machinery is not in very good: order, and will require some
repairs, etc.;: but this I can have1 done here. She will be, of much service
to us, as we have comparatively no vessels of light draft. I shall have
her employM at Fort Pulaski, where I aip obliged to keep a steamer.

Please find enclosed a copy of the letter of Rear- Admiral DuPont to
General Brannan in regard to the matter.

I am, general, very respectfully, your rnost obedient seryant,

J. J. Elwell.
Captain and Assistant Quartermaster.
J. G. Chandler,

Deputy Quartermaster-General, U. S. A.

Personally appeared before me Charles H. Campbell, of the city,
county, and State of New York, who, being by me duly sworn according
to law, deposes and says as follows :

That during the year 1862, and from that time up to and including the
year 1866, he was doing service in the department of the South, head-
quarters at Hilton Head, South Carolina/, that he knows Hon. Robert
Smalls, of Beaufort, South Carolina; that he was present when the
steamer Planter, of the city of Charleston, came into Hilton Head on or
about the thirteenth of May, 1862 ; that he went on board the Planter
and made a personal examination of her condition, and found she was
built of live oak and red cedar, and a first-class coastwise steamer, well
furnished and complete in every respect; that he was, and is, well
acquainted with the value of steamers, and has been engaged in the
business of steamboating, both.as captain and owner, for the last fifteen
years; that the steamer Planter was fully worth, at the time she came
into Hilton Head, the sum of $60,000 in cash for the boat alone; that
the United States government was paying at that time for steamers of
her class $400 per day under a charter-party agreernent with the chief
quartermaster at that place, the government finding both wood and
coal; that he chartered to the United States government at or about

174 MEN OF MARK.

that time the steamer George Washington for $350 per day, which was
only about half the size of the Planter, and not more than half her value;
that he executed seven charters for steamers with the government, and
also had a valuation set on them in case of loss, and the above state-
ment is made in accordance with the prices paid by the government at
Hilton Head and elsewhere during the time the Planter was in the ser-
vice ; that, at the close of the war, and while the Planter was laying up
in Charleston and in a very bad condition from the nature of, her past
services, 1 was commissioned by her former owner, Captain Ferguson,
to purchase the Planter from the government for the sum of $25,000,
which sum I did offer, and the same was refused on the part of the gov-
ernment of the United States ; that the steamer Planter was an extra
strong built boat, her frame was live oak and red cedar, and built as
strong as possible ; she was built expressly for the coastwise trade, and
she is running out of the city of Charleston to-day, and is considered by
steamboat men one of the strongest and best built steamboats in the

South.

Charles H. Campbell.

Subscribed and sworn to before me the twenty-third day of March,

1876.

[official seal.] James A. Tait,

Notary Public.

Personally appeared before me, a notary public, E. M. Baldwin, of the
city of Washington, District of Columbia, who was by me duly sworn
according to law, deposes and says :

That during the year A. D., 1862, and afterwards was doing service
for the Navy Department at Hilton Head, South Carolina, in the South
Atlantic blockading squadron; that he was captain of the steam-tug
Mercury, and was one of the first persons that boarded the Planter at
Hilton Head on the thirteenth day of May, A. D., 1862.

That he has been for years, and is now, engaged in the steamboat
business as an officer and owner, and is familiar with the prices paid foi
charters by the quartermaster at Hilton Head, and the value of steam-
boats generally at that time and since ; that he examined the Plantei
when she came into said harbor at Hilton Head, and found her a first-
class steamboat, built of live oak and red cedar, and her outfit and

ROBERT SMALLS. 175

findings complete in every particular ; that she could have been readily

sold at the time she arrived at Hilton Head for $75,000 in cash for the

steamboat alone, or could have been chartered to the government for

$400 per day, which at that rate would have paid the purchase money

at the price aforesaid in less than one year, and would have left a large

surplus to the purchaser ; that she was considered by both the officers of

the Army and Navy, on account of her light draft and great strength, by

far the best steamer for that coast service in the Department of the

South.

E. M. Baldwin.

Sworn to before me and subscribed by him in my presence this twenty-
fifth day of March, A. D., 1876.
[official seal.] James A. Tait,

Notary Public.

3 76

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ROBERT SMALLS. 177

For the services Mr. Smalls ought to have been re-
warded. The bill did not pass on the ground that there
was no precedent for placing a civilian on the retired list of
the navy, but some other reward should be granted. This
record is preserved in full for the benefit of history.

After the Planter was put out of commission in 1866,
Captain Smalls was elected a member of the State Consti-
tutional convention. He was of course the hero of an im-
portant act in the drama of the late war, and his people
always delighted to hear him tell, in his own style,
the story of the capture. His zeal, good sense and pure
disinterestedness, easily made him the idol of his people,
whose faith in him was unbounded. Indeed, even to this
day he is very popular. It was recently reported in the
papers that two colored men, partisans of his, were talk-
ing on the corners. Said one to the other "I tell you,
Smalls is the greatest man in the world." The other said,
"Y-e-s, he's great, but not the greatest man." "Pshaw,
man," replied the first speaker, "Who is greater than
Smalls? " Said No. 2, "Why, Jesus Christ." "0," said No.
1, "Smalls is young yet. "

This, though it may be only a joke on the general, illus-
trates his popularity with the masses. At the general elec-
tion in 1868, he was elected to a seat in the House of Rep-
resentatives of the State and signalized his efforts by the
introduction of the Homestead Act, and introduced and se-
cured the passage of the Civil Rights bill. He continued in
this capacity until Judge Wright was elected as associate
judge of the Supreme Court of the State, when he was
elected to fill his unexpired time in the Senate in 1870, and,

178 MEN OF MARK.

at the election in 1872 he was elected Senator, defeating
General W J. Whipper. His record here was brilliant,
consistent, and indeed he led in all the most prominent
measures. His debating qualities were tested, and he was
acknowledged a superior and powerful talker. He was on
the "Committee on Finance," chairman of the "Commit-
tee on Public Printing," and a member of many other
leading committees. An old sketch says of him :

His character is made up of some of the best traits of human nature.
He is generous, daring- and true. His mental faculties are acute, sen-
sitive and progressive. He is, in fine, one of the most distinguished
of his race, and may justly be deemed one of its representative men.

Taking much interest in the military affairs of his State,
he was appointed lieutenant-colonel of the Third regi-
ment, South Carolina State militia, in 1873. Afterwards
he was promoted to brigadier-general of the Second
brigade, South Carolina militia, and later major-general
of the Second division, South Carolina State militia,
which position he held until the Democrats came into
power, in 1877

He was a delegate to the National Republican conven-
tion at Philadelphia, in 1872, which nominated Grant and
Wilson, and also to the National Republican convention,
which met at Cincinnati, in 1876, and nominated Hayes
and Wheeler; also delegate to the National Republican
convention which met at Chicago and nominated Blaine
and Logan ; was elected to the Forty-seventh and Forty-
eighth Congresses, and was re-elected to the Forty-ninth
Congress as a Republican, receiving 8,419 votes against
4,584 votes for Elliott, Democrat, and 235 votes scatter-

ROBERT SMALLS. 179

ing. He was also a candidate at the last election but was
counted out, not beaten, by the Democracy. He will con-
test the seat of the man holding the certificate. The gen-
eral affiliates with the Baptist church, and is of a high
spiritual tendency, and can be seen attending the Berean
Baptist church, Washington, D. C, every Sabbath morn-
ing. His mother, wife and daughters are all members of
the same faith.

180 MEN OF MARK.

XTII

HENRY OvSSAWA TANNER, ESQ.

A Rising Artist — Exhibitor of Paintings in the Art Galleries — Illustrator
of Magazines .

THE story goes that many artists die in garrets, poor,
desolate and friendless ; that unborn generations do
justice to their works and pay high prices for their master-
pieces; the merest daubs become highest specimens of art,
and people go into rhapsodies over those pictures which are
no better in after days than they were in the days the v were
made. The poor artist, perhaps, died for want of a meal,
and was unable to get the necessary comforts for the sus-
tenance of life. But in these days of activitj', enterprise
and speculation, meritorious work of every character
secures good prices, and the man who has lived to make a
good thing need not go far to find a market.
Says a distinguished writer :

The true artist does not begin his picture or statue as one does the
brick wall of a house, la3'ing it out by metes and bounds and erecting it
with line and plummet, according to fixed mathematical rules ; but, in
the dream of the artist or artisan, a beautiful dome with all its elegant
finish, is instantly brought into being and spanned above his head. A
statue or picture comes to him like a dream, and the secret of art power

HENRY OSSAWA TANNER. 181

is to hold those models in the memory until the faculties of constructive-
ness, form, size and order have wrought out and fixed the image in
material form.

This is very largely true of this young man. His whole
nature and temperament bespeak the artist. While by no
means he is affected in his manner, yet his thoughts are of
the finest character, and are delicately expressed on the
canvas before him. His taste is somewhat on the order of
that of Landseer and Bonheur, who love animals. These
artists did not look upon them simply as so many bones,
with hide, horns and other necessary parts thrown in, but
they delighted to portra}- their nature, habits, affections,
symmetry and beauty. This is indeed an exaltation of
their Maker and the dignifying of God on canvas, by em-
ploying their genius in portraying the characteristics
mentioned.

These and other thoughts engage the mind of the true
artist. Pictures are to them the solidifying of the imagina-
tion, an embellishment of an idea, a thought made tangible.
Indeed a picture is the impression of one's thoughts upon
canvas in such a way that it leaves the thought fixed
thereon and becomes a means of communication to others.
Often so delicately expressed, and so very carefully pre-
sented, that pictures are sometimes said to almost speak,
so faithfully do they convey the idea of the painter. It can
be readily seen how, in ancient times, hieroglyphics were
used for writing, and surely they were nothing more than
pictures. Pictures are to the eyes, then, what the type is in
the book to the same organ — a vehicle of thought, though
of a much higher grade than writing.

182 MEN OF MARK.

"Boss Tweed" used to say, "Print what you please
about me but spare me from the pictures of Tom Nast."
So powerfully did his pictures portray the stealings and
villanies of that New York alderman.

Abraham Lincoln told Nast, "transfer your talents to
me and you can take my place." It can readily be seen
what power is in the hands of the man who controls the
pen, pencil or brush.

This young man, then, will gain a widespread influence
if he continues to supply illustrations to Harper Brothers,
for the Harper's Young People and for Judge Tourgee's
paper Our Continent as he has done*. The firm of
Harper & Brother does much to encourage colored men,
and in employing Mr. Tanner, deserves here to be men-
tioned.

His services rendered in this capacity for so old and well
established a firm, show that he is a talented young man
and that brains will win every time. Young men need
not mope around, smoking cigars, carousing, and whining
about prejudice and proscription. Let them go to work;
let them do something.

Mr. Tanner is the son of the well known Rev B. T Tan-
ner, D. D., and has his father's talent and progressiveness.
He was born June 21, 1859, at Pittsburg, Pennsylvania.
His school advantages have been good, and he is fairly
fitted for life's work. He studied art at the Pennsylvania
Academy of Fine Arts, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,
where he has lived for many years. His pictures take
high rank. No favoritism is shown in the selection to
enter the academies and galleries of this country. Each

HENRY OSSAWA TANNER. 183

specimen must pass the committee of eminent men, who
are art critics of long standing. This is stated lest many
might think he is patronized by rich men or through the
influence of his father, or because some one takes pity on
him, trying to help a colored man to rise. No! It is
merit; let that be understood at once. Perseverance,
pluck and brains is an}- young man's capital. Let him
use them.

He has exhibited pictures, as has been said, at several
galleiies. He exhibited "The Lions at Home" in 1885,
and "Back from the Beach" in 1886, at the National
Academy of Design and at the Pennsylvania Academy of
Fine Arts. This first named picture was sold at the
National Academy of Design, New York City. He also
exhibited "Dusty Road " at the Lydia Art gallery, at Chi-
cago, where it was sold. Exhibited picture "The Elk
Attacked by Wolves" at the International Exposition at
New Orleans, in the department for the colored people.
Being commissioner from Kentucky, I remember this pic-
ture very well. It attracted my attention at the time on
account of its size and naturalness. He has also exhibited
pictures at Washington and Louisville. At the last named
place he exhibited "Point Judith." This picture I also
remember and was very much pleased with it, though I
did not know at the time that it was the work of a col-
ored artist.

He is constantly engaged in furnishing work upon
special orders. I visited his gallery and was shown quite
a number of his pictures ; especially was I pleased with one
of a lion in his den, where it was shown that he was eat-

1S4 MEN OF MARK.

ing bloody meat. It was truly life-like and the lion's head
with all its fierceness, seemed so natural that one would
almost feel like looking toward the door for egress. The
bloody meat, as it lay before him, seemed as if it lay upon
the floor. Let me explain here that the picture was out
of its frame and was standing upon its edge upon the
floor, leaning against the easel. The lion's massive paw,
seemed as if he were about to lift it and reach out for the
meat, just before him.

Indeed, it was true and life-like as I have said. This
artist has been encouraged by many of the leading men of
his profession in the city, and his future seems brilliant.

I earnestly hope that those of our race who deal in
pictures will not forget to encourage such men as Mr.
Tanner. Mention is made of him not simply that the
book might be filled and space employed, but that knowl-
edge of him may extend throughout the country and he be
encouraged by those who read of his ability. Be satisfied
that the statements here made are true and his work as
described.

ANDREW HEATH. 185

XIV

REV ANDREW HEATH.

A Minister of the Gospel, Eminent for his Piety.

REV ANDREW HEATH, after a long illness, has gone
where there is neither sorrow, pain nor death. He
was born in Henderson county, Kentucky, February 20,
1832, and died February 19, 1887, at the age of fifty-five
years. At an early period in life he became a Christian,
and spent forty of the best years of his life in working for
the Master. In 1851 he was married to Miss Lucy Ham-
ilton, who has worked bravely by his side. In 1867 a
council, composed of Revs. Henry Adams, William Troy,
R. DeBaptiste, R. T. W James and Professor Green, or-
dained him to the Gospel ministry. In 1868 he became
assistant pastor of Fifth Street Baptist church. Louisville,
Kentucky, and in 1872, on the death of Rev. Henry
Adams, became its pastor. The first Baptist convention
ever held in the State, in 1863, enrolled him as a member,
and in all the years since he has never withheld his hand
from any work that would advance the interest of the race
and the denomination. He has served the General Associa-
tion in being a member of the Executive board and chair-
man of the same about sixteen years. During his pastor-

186 MEN OF MARK.

ate about fifteen hundred persons have been baptized by
him. We may safely say that no minister in the State held
a higher place in the estimation of the people who knew
him. Every charitable cause found a ready helper in him,
the orphans a father and the Christian church a true
leader. His character was pure ; his reputation never re-
ceived a blur in all the years of his ministry.

His death, though he had been ill a long time, was un-
expected and created general and profound regret. The
church appointed the assistant pastor, Rev. J. H. Frank,
Deacons Thomas Parker, Shelton Guest, Q. B. Jones,
Moses Lawson, Horace Crutcher, R. M. Hightower, R.
Hamilton, and Messrs. William H. Steward, W L. Gibson
and George W Talbott a committee to arrange for the
funeral, and Mt. Moriah Lodge, F and A. Masons, ap-
pointed Messrs. E. W Marshall, Felix Sweeney, Edward
Caldwell, Matthew Goodall and Enoch Maney During
Saturday, Sunday and Monday, thousands of people who
had admired this noble man in life called at his late resi-
dence to view his remains and tender sympathy to the
bereaved family. Sunday at the church was a sad day
The heavily draped building was a silent reminder of the
mournful event. Monday morning the several meetings
of the city pastors and the students of the State University
passed suitable resolutions and agreed to attend the
funeral services in a body

Tuesday morning, long before the hour for the opening
of the church, the street was literally packed with a mass
of humanity, and when the doors were opened the church
was instantly filled. So eager were the people to witness

ANDREW HEATH. 187

the ceremony that hundreds stood patiently for hours.
While this interest was being shown at the church, sad and
heartrending scenes were occurring in the home of sorrow,
from which his body was soon to be borne. A few minutes
before eleven o'clock the funeral cortege started for the
church. So dense was the crowd that it was almost im-
possible to force an entrance. The funeral requiem on the
great organ, in deep and solemn tones, announced the pro-
cession. No evidence more convincing of the love and
esteem of this people for their lamented pastor could have
been given than the spontaneous and unfeigned expressions
of grief when the body entered the church in charge of
the following pall-bearers : Revs. E. P Marrs, A. Stratton
and W P Churchill, Messrs. Q. B. Jones, Wm. Morton,
Shelton Guest, Isaac Morton and Willis Adams. About
two hundred ministers, representing the several ministers'
meetings and associations, were present. The white Bap-
tist clergy being represented by Rev J. A. Broadus, J. P
Boyce and W H. Whitsitt of the Southern Baptist Theo-
logical Seminary, and Revs. T. T Eaton, H. Allen Tupper,
C. M. Thompson and A. C. Caperton; also the presence of
a large number of ministers from abroad, including Revs.
G. W Bowling of Elizabethtown ; E. J Anderson of Georg-
town; S. P Young of Lexington; E. Evans of Bowling
Green; M. Allen of Shelby ville ; R. Reynolds of Pee Wee
Valley; M. Bassett of New Albany, Indiana; Willis John-
son of Bloomfield; J. Jacobs of Harrodscreek ; J. W Carr
of San Antonio, Texas; Wm. Miller of Jacksonville, In-
diana; J M. Washington of Indianapolis, Indiana; and
B. T Thomas of Clarksville, Tennessee. The large audi-

188 MEN OF MARK.

ence, despite the uncomfortable surroundings, listened
attentively and eagerly. Rev- J. H. Frank opened the
services with a short introductory address, paying a de-
served tribute to the deceased. Rev. H. Allen Tupper,
pastor of Broadway Baptist church, read the favored
hymn : " Is my name written there ?" which was sung with
much feeling by the choir of the church; Professor J. M.
Maxwell read an appropriate scripture lesson and Rev.
Lee Y Evans, pastor of Quinn chapel, offered a fervent
prayer.

The old 'familiar hymn— "Why Should We Start and
Fear to Die?"— was lined by Rev G. E. Scott, pastor of
Zion Baptist church.

Resolutions of different organizations and telegrams of
regret from friends and fellow ministers were read by
Revs. C. H. Parrish, S. P Young, R. Harper and Mr.
William H. Nelson.

Mr M. Lawson made a statement expressing the views
of the deceased as related to him a few weeks prior to his
death, bearing expressly upon the relative importance of
masonry and the church.

Rev William J Simmons, D. D., then preached the
funeral sermon from Acts, 20 : 24-27 "But none of these
things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself,
so that I might finish my course with joy, and the minis-
try which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify
the gospel of the grace of God. And now behold, I know
that ye all, among whom I have gone preaching the
kingdom of God, shall see my face no more. Where-
fore I take vou to record this day, that I am pure from

ANDREW HEATH. 189

the blood of all men. For I have not shunned to declare
unto 3'ou all the counsel of God."

The sermon was a warm tribute to the memory of a
good minister of Jesus Christ and found a response in the
heart of every person present.

At the close of the sermon, remarks were made by Revs.
G. W Ward and A. Barry by request of the family, and by
Revs. A. C. Caperton repesenting the Baptist Ministers'
meeting (white), by Rev. C. C. Bates, representing the
Executive Board, and Rev. D. A. Gaddie representing the
General Association.

Rev T. T Eaton, pastor of the Walnut Street Baptist
church, gave out the hymn "Asleep in Jesus."

When the hymn was concluded the benediction was
announced by Rev. Spencer Snell, pastor of the Plymouth
Congregational church.

The floral offerings, which were profuse and beautiful,
were removed from the casket and the march for the ceme-
tery begun.

The streets were lined with people who, being unable to
get into the church, waited patiently to pay the last trib-
ute of respect to a faithful minister.

The procession, which was as large as ever followed a
man to his last resting place in this city, reached the ceme-
tery about four o'clock. The funeral service of the Ma-
sonic fraternity was rendered by William H. Steward, the
Grand Master of the State, in the presence of an immense
number of people, when the body was placed in the vault.

The following resolutions were passed by the church of

190 MEN OF MARK.

which he had been pastor and by the Ministers' and Dea-
cons' conference of this city.

CHURCH RESOLUTIONS.

Whereas, It has pleased the Ruler of the universe, the great Head of the
church, the Disposer of all things, to call, February 19, in the year of our
Lord, 1887, at 7:53 a. m., our dearly beloved and worthy pastor, the
most faithful and wonderfully wrought workman of the gospel ministry
of our communit\-, and

Whereas, But a few have, with such exemplary fidelity, exerted an
influence for good in the Master's vineyard. A man of fair literary
attainments, acquired under many disadvantages, strong, spiritual in-
clinations, sound and conservative doctrine, ardent and unostentatious
in piety, spotless in character, unblemished in reputation, dignified in
appearance and " faithful in his house ;" therefore be it

Resolved, That we, the members of the Fifth Street Baptist church,
believe he was truly a bishop of the description of 1st Timothy 3,
" blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour,
given to hospitality, apt to teach ; not given to wine, no striker, not
greedy of filthy lucre, but patient, not a brawler, not -covetous; one that
ruled well his own house, not lifted up with pride and having a good
report of them which are without." The church has indeed lost a good
pastor, the Sunday school a strong support, his wife a kind husband,
the children a devoted father, the widows and orphans a friend, the poor
and needy a comforter, and missions an advocate. We mourn his death
yet it is a consolation to know that our great loss is his eternal gain.
We extend our sympathy to the bereaved family and a helping hand in
time of need.

Resolved, That in token of our respect and esteem, the church be
draped in mourning for thirty days, and a copy of these resolutions be
presented to the stricken family, spread upon the records of the church
and published in the city papers.

John H. Frank,
George W. Talbott,
Q. B. Jones,
Moses Lawson,
William H. Steward.

Committee.

ANDREW HEATH. 191

ministers' and deacons' conference.

The Fifth Street church and the Baptist denomination of this vicinity
and State have met with a great loss in the death of Rev. Andrew Heath,
which occurred in this city the nineteenth inst. We feel desirous of ex-
pressing ourselves as follows :

He was a devout Christian for nearly forty years, connected with the
General Association since its origin, for fourteen years pastor of the Fifth
Street Baptist church of this city and also a former member and ex-
chairman of the Executive Board of the General Association. He has
long resided in our midst, and here in this city achieved his honorable and
noble success as a Christian pastor. With comparatively limited means
and opportunity, he has woven his name into the inmost soul of this
community. With a liberal heart he has promoted all the true interest
of society and religion. A noble, honest and true man, an humble and
consistent Christian has fallen. His counsel, kind and fair; integrity,
clear; and fidelity, beyond reproach. In his home he was the model
Christian, husband and father. Therefore be it

Resolved, That we sincerely deplore his death, for in it we have lost a
true minister and exemplary Christian.

That in honor of his great worth, a memorial meeting be held at Fifth
Street church next Sunday afternoon at three o'clock ; that said meet-
ing include all the ministers of the city, and such visiting ministers as
may be present, of all denominations.

That our fullest and tenderest sympathies are hereby extended to hi«
afflicted family and church.
That we attend his funeral in a body.
That we wear a memorial badge for thirty days.

That these resolutions be sent to the family, spread upon our minutes
and published in the city papers.

D. A. Gaddie,

T. M. Falkner,

W Johnson,

G. W Ward,

G. E. Scott,

J. W Lewis,

C. H. Parrish, Secretary.

Committee.

192 MEN OF MARK.

Resolutions were also passed by the choir of the Fifth
Street Baptist church, and by the State University, of
which he was a former pupil, by the Lexington ministers
and deacons in assembled meeting, by the Junior class of
the State University, of which a daughter is a member,
and by the Louisville Ministerial Association, composed
of brethren of other denominations.

Telegrams were received from the following persons ex-
pressing grief and sympathy: E. W Green, Maysville,
Kentucky; G. W Dupee, Paducah, Kentucky; R. Bassett,
Indianapolis, Indiana; J. K. Polk, Versailles, Kentucky;
0. Durrett, Clinton, Kentucky; Mrs. A. V Nelson, Lexing-
ton, Kentucky; R. H. L. Mitchem, Springfield, Kentucky;
James Allensworth, Hopkinsville, Kentucky ; Peter Lewis,
Louisville, Kentucky; M.Harding, Owensboro, Kentucky.
All of these testified to his high standing as a Christian
gentleman, a man of many virtues, of varied graces,
and who seemed to have no enemies. Sunday, February
27, the memorial services, in honor of Rev A. Heath, at
Fifth street, were held and largely attended.

Rev D. A. Gaddie presided and made the introductory
address. The choir sang several appropriate anthems and
hymns. Rev W J. Simmons, D. D., read the Scripture les-
sons. Revs.B. Taylor and J. Mitchell offered prayer; Rev.
G. W Ward portrayed him "as a preacher," and Rev E. P.
Marrs, "as a pastor."

Remarks were made by Revs. B. Taylor, M. F Robinson,
R. Hatchett, J. W Lewis, and Messrs. Thomas Parker, Q.
B. Jones, Albert Mack and Albert White. At the conclu-
sion of the addresses, a committee, which had been previ-

ANDREW HEATH. 19o

ously appointed, submitted a tribute of respect which was
approved as the sentiment of the meeting.

A touching tribute to this truly good man is given by J.
C. Corbin, Pine Bluff, Arkansas, who was an associate with
Elder Heath in his early life. He writes: " Elder Heath was
modest, teachable and unassuming ; that he succeeded was
not due to extraordinary gifts of eloquence, scholarship or
other talents. It must have been the result of his earnest
piety, pure character and entire consecration to the work
of his ministry. These secured for him the favor of Al-
mighty God."

He was the "architect of his own fortune," and now he
rests from his labors and his works do follow him.
"Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord."

I might have said more in way of eulogy from my own
standpoint, but I felt that his death brought forth the testi-
mony sufficient to show how he lived, and this chorus of
praise is far more telling than my own feeble utterances.

194 MEN OF MARK.

XV

H. C. SMITH, ESQ.

Prominent Editor — First-class Musician — Deputy Oil Inspector of Ohio —
Song Writer — Leader of Bands — Cornetist.

MR. SMITH is what we might call a self-made man,
as it is largely through his own energies that he
has reached his present station in life ; but he says he owes
his education and training to the devotion of a faithful
mother, assisted by his sister. He was born in Clarksburg,
West Virginia, January 20, 1863. His parents were
named John and Sarah Smith. It was twenty-eight days
after the issuing of the Emancipation Proclamation by
"Old Abe." He went to Cleveland with his widowed
mother in 1865 or 1866, and there his mother and sister
toiled very hard to educate him. After leaving the gram-
mar schools of Cleveland, with the aid of his cornet,
which he had learned to play without a teacher, having
secured the rudiments of his musical education in the
schools of Cleveland, he made much of the money so
earned, by which he secured advantages. He was con-
stantly employed in playing in orchestras and brass bands ;
by this means also he was able to assist in the support of
his mother and sister. He attended the Cleveland Central

H. C. SMITH.

H. C. SMITH. 195

High School, entering in 1878, and finished a four years
course of what was known as the Latin and English
course. In 1882, while at the high school, he corresponded
for papers in Indianapolis, Cincinnati and Springfield ; and
at different times during the last year and a half he wrote
for a weekly paper called the Cleveland Sun — a white
journal. After leaving school he followed music as a pro-
fession for about a year and a half, directing a colored
band and orchestral and vocal organization, at different
times. The summers of 1881 and 1882, he spent at Lake-
wood, Chautauqua Lake, New York, playing the-cornet in
the orchestra. He -was director of theAmphion male quar-
tet ; director of Freeman and Boston's orchestra, a well
known organization in the northern part of Ohio, for two or
three years ; was president and director of the First M. E.
and Central High School orchestras — white organizations,
and leader of the famous Excelsior reed band of the city of
Cleveland, and captain of several athletic organizations,
the members of which were white persons, with the excep-
tion of himself. While at High School, in August, 1883, he
was one of a company of four that started the Cleveland
Gazette. He was general manager and editor, having a
one-fourth interest in the venture. He soon bought out
each of his partners and is now sole proprietor. His views,
as expressed in the Gazette, are clear, concise and easily
comprehended. He never fails to speak most earnestly for
the race and its representatives.

Having been brought up in the mixed schools of the
city, he has always antagonized the color line in the most
fearless manner. Says Professor W S. Scarborough:

196 MEN OF MARK.

Mr. Smith has always wielded a fearless and able pen for right and
truth. He has fought squarely in behalf of his race, demanding recogni-
tion wherever denied. No other proof of this is needed than the Gazette
itself; though at times he has been severely criticised, he has never
wavered from what he considered his duty. He believes that the Repub-
lican party can serve best the interests of the Negro, and thereupon
he becomes its able and active defender. He also believes that mixed
schools are best for all concerned, and especially for the Negro, as separ-
ate schools simply imply race prejudice and race inferiority, and, there-
fore, he becomes a relentless antagonist to the color line in the schools.

Read what that eminent colored divine, Rev. J W Gaza-
way of Ohio and Indiana, has to say of

THE CLEVELAND GAZETTE.

The most healthful signs of life and a highly useful career are indicated
in the existence of the above named paper. That it is a paper of brain
and culture cannot be doubted when the fact is remembered that in its
columns are found communications from the wisest and best minds of
our race. It is a paper for the people it represents, and it can be relied
on as a friend of every colored man, though his face may be of ebony hue.
The Gazette is a practical demonstration of what can be done by the
young men of our race. The editor is a young man, who, by dint of in-
dustry and economy and fair dealing, has succeeded in giving to the
colored people of Ohio and the country a paper worthy the patronage of
all. Having been a reader of the Gazette since its first appearance, and
having watched its course, I feel that, injustice to the paper, the editor
and the race, I should urge upon the people generally to support the
paper that is practically identified with the colored people, and is in
harmony with the interests and success of all without regard to
complexion.

His paper is now in its fourth year, and is one of the
newsiest and most successful in the United States. He
claims that it is not only paying its way but is actually
making money ; this can be said of but few colored journals

H. C. SMITH. 197

in the United States, and marks his paper as popular and
in demand. He has given constant attention to the ques-
tions which have arisen in Ohio. Besides being editor of
this prominent journal, which has steadily assumed a
powerful interest and influence, he is one of the two colored
clerks who secured appointments in the city, having been
appointed by a non-partisan board of electors ; his ap-
pointment in the Thirteenth ward was a compliment to
his journal, to himself and a recognition of his worth.
Through the agency of Governor Foraker he was also ap-
pointed Deputy State Oil Inspector at a handsome salary.
He not only is fitted to fill this position but he is thereby
recognized as one of the factors in holding the party to-
gether, and he is especially deserving of it because of the
noble manner in which he championed Governor Foraker's
cause in the canvass. No other colored man holds a sim-
ilar position in the State, and never has held such.

It should* be mentioned here that as a musician he has
taken very high rank, as has been shown by what has been
written above. He has written several songs which are
deservedly popular and can be found upon the pianos of
thousands of homes. Among the most popular is the song,
"Be true, bright eyes."

He is one of whom the race is justly proud and from
whom we shall hear much in the future. Already he has
been mentioned as a possible candidate for legislative
honors, and he will be deserving of all the honors that
might be thrust upon him. He is by no means one of those
who seek to reap that which he has not sown, but is
modest and retiring. His intellectual qualities, his good-

198 MEN OF MARK.

ness of heart and generous nature always bring him to the
front among his friends, who are loyal and true to him.
He is manly and in every way shows his superiority over
the common man. May he continue to prosper in worldly
goods and honors as he is now prospering. He has at-
tained some wealth and delights to use it as a slight con-
tribution to the loved ones at home, his mother and sister,
who labored so hard to give him the opportunities to
make the most of himself.

JOHN BUNYAN REEVE. 199

XVI.

REV JOHN BUNYAN REEVE, A. B., D. D.

Distinguished Presbyterian Divine — Professor of Howard University,
Theological Department.

IN Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, lives one of the oldest
and most respected Presbyterian preachers in America.
One whose virtues and long life of devotion to the precious
Gospel are known far and wide. A worthy nobleman of
feeling so tender and sympathetic, that while he ever
listens to you with deep and lasting interest, it pains you
to see how keenly a tale of sorrow affects him. He is a
man of large physique, commanding stature, and impresses
one as a gentleman of strong convictions and earnest
purpose.

He was born October 29, 1831, at Mattatuck, Suffolk
county, New York. His parents and grandparents had
long lived in that neighborhood, and in this place he had
his home until he was seventeen years of age. He attended
district schools while young, and worked on a farm.
From 1848 till 1852 or 1853, he lived and worked in the
State of New York, during which time he became a mem-
ber of theShiloh Presbyterian church, during the pastorate
of the Rev. J. W C. Pennington, D. D. His parents were

200 MEN OF MARK.

Presbyterians, and his mother had early dedicated him to
the ministry A mother's prayers, personal conviction,
and the pastor's counsel prevailed over him, and in 1853,
after having taught school for a few months at New-
Tower, Long Island, and having been received under the
care of the Third Presbytery of New York city, as a candi-
date for the Gospel ministry, he entered the preparatory
department of the New York Central College, then at
McGawsville, New York, where he spent one year in the
preparatory and graduated from the college department
in June, 1858. He then entered in September, 1858, the
Union Theological Seminary of New York city, from which
he was graduated in April, 1861, and the same month
was licensed to preach the Gospel by the Third Presbytery
of New York city, and was then dismissed to the Fourth
Presbytery of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. June 14, 1861,
he was ordained by the latter body and installed pastor
of the Lombard Street Central Presbyterian church, Phila-
delphia, where he remained until September, 1871. Then
he resigned his pastorate to accept the invitation of Gen-
eral 0.0. Howard, and the appointment of the American
Missionary Association, to organize a theological depart-
ment in Howard University, Washington, District of
Columbia and teach therein.

He remained in this work, faithfully serving the institu-
tion until June, 1875, when he resigned to accept a recall
to the pastorate in Philadelphia. He was reinstalled
pastor of this church in September, 1875, where a kind
Providence still permits him to serve.

He has never sought any high honors, and with extreme

JOHN BUNYAN REEVE. 201

modesty and dignified deportment, he has gone through
life thinking that his "highest honor was that of having
had Godly parents ; the Rev. Dr. Pennington, when in his
prime, as the pastor and guide of his youth, and the late
Hon. William E. Dodge and the Rev. Asa D. Smith, D. D.,
then his pastor, and later president of Dartmouth College,
for his patrons when a poor student." He was made
moderator of the Presbytery of Philadelphia in 1865, and
a. commissioner to several assemblies the same year.

His talents being of such a high order, his personal
popularity so well known, and the purity of his life so
marked, that Lincoln University, in Pennsylvania, in 1870,
honored herself in conferring upon him the degree of D. D.
He is beloved by his congregation, which he has served for
many years, and with whom it is presumed he will end
his labors and go to the haven of rest prepared for the
people of God ; and his lasting influeuce over the lives of
those to whom he has ministered will be as a grateful
incense ascending to God.

202 MEN OF MARK.

XVII.

THOMAS J. BOWERS.

The American " Mario," Tenor Vocalist.

THE American "Mario" was born in Philadelphia in-
1836. In childhood he was very fond of music, and
exhibited rare talent in that direction. His father, a man,
of considerable intelligence, and filled with anxiety to have
his children learn this fine accomplishment procured a
piano and a competent instructor for his oldest son, John
C. Bowers, thinking if he became proficient he should
teach the others. This purpose was accomplished, and
our subject was instructed by his brother to perform upon
the piano forte and on the organ. In a short time he
became a master of the art and succeeded his brother as
organist of St. Thomas church, in Philadelphia. He was
restricted from becoming a public performer for a long
time because of his parents. As a tenor vocalist he at-
tracted the attention and excited the admiration of many
persons. His voice was extraordinary in its power, mel-
lowness and sweetness. At Samson Street Hall, in Phila-
delphia, in 1854, he was induced to appear with the Black
Swan as her pupil. It was not on this occasion that he
made his fame, yet the Press of Philadelphia spoke of his

THOMAS J. BOWERS. 203

performance in flattering terms and called for a repetition
of the concert.. After this repetition, a critic, commenting
upon the voice of Mr. Bowers, styled him the "Colored
Mario." Colonel Woods, once manager of the Cincinnati
museum, hearing of the remarkable singing qualities of
Mr. Bowers, came to Philadelphia to hear him. He was
delighted and entered into an engagement with him to
make a concert tour of New York and the Canadas. Mr.
Bowers was accompanied by Miss Sarah Taylor Green-
field, the famous songstress. They were highly applauded,
and met with great success wherever they appeared.
During this tour, Colonel Wood urged that he should ap-
pear under the name of "Indian Mario," and again under
that of " African Mario." He hesitated for quite a while
before he would accept either, but at last he consented to
that of "Mario." As a lover of his race, Mr. Bowers en-
gaged in public performances more for the purpose of en-
couraging colored persons to take rank in music with the
more highly cultured of the fairer race, than for that of
making a display of his rare abilities, also for the enjoy-
ment which he derived from it. Writing to a friend, he
says:

What induced me more than anything else to appear in public was
to give the lie to Negro serenaders (minstrels), and to show to
the world that colored men and women could sing classical music
as well as members of the other race, by whom they had been so ter-
ribly villified.

A love of filthy lucre nor his care for fame ever caused
him to yield to that vulgar prejudice that compelled the
colored persons to take back seats or go to the galleries.

204 MEN OF MARK.

If they did not receive the same treatment as the whites
he refused so sing, which was manly to say the least. He
had an occasion to take this step and stood firm, and
thereby broke down the prejudice that many encourage.

Mr. Bowers sang in many of the States, and even in-
vaded the slavery cursed regions of Maryland. Many
very favorable comments had he from different papers.
He was ranked among the most cultured of his day, and
as a tenor vocalist surpassed all of his contemporaries. As
Mr. Bowers is dead, and we were unable to secure material
for this sketch, we are largely indebted to ' Music and
Some Highly Musical People ' for much of the above, and
also for permission from the author to use the same.

NICHOLAS FRANKLIN ROBERTS. 205

XVIII.

REV NICHOLAS FRANKLIN ROBERTS, A. B., A. M.

Professor of Mathematics— President of the Baptist State Convention of
North Carolina— Moderator of 100,000 Colored Baptists.

AMONG the rising young men of the old "Tar Heel
State ' ' is the one whose name is at the head of this ar-
ticle. He has reflected honor upon the State that gave him
birth ; he is a young man who has risen from the drudgery
of farm life to the prominence of a professor in a university,
and is therefore a representative of his people. There are
many older persons, of course, who might be selected, and
some may bring the charge of "young men " against some
of the characters in this book, but if in early life they have
placed themselves at the head of great enterprises, it seems
fitting that they should be noticed for the encouragement
of others who come behind them. Then the depths from
which some people rise, and the heights to which they
climb, is worthy of notice. Now is there reason for the
farmer boy who reads this sketch to be discouraged be-
cause he has hard work, plowing, cutting and hauling
wood, caring for the pigs, feeding the cows, and other la-
borious work ? It seems not to me. The advantages of
a farm life are many, though there maybe rough spots and

206 MEN OF MARK.

difficult passages. Indeed, the days of a farmer are well
spent in being influenced by nature and thus being led up
to nature's God. Boys in the country have their minds
measurably kept pure and untainted by the things that
destroy the purity of the mind, and many of these "young
men ' ' referred to are mentioned as a means of encourage-
ment to those who still are behind in the race of life.

He was born near Seaboard, North Hampton county,
North Carolina, October 13, 1849. At the age of twelve
years he relates that he had a thirst for learning, which
made him apply himself to his books very diligently.
He would study very late at night, often all night. The
young man was especially apt with figures, easily leading
the other boys, with whom he was associated, in all efforts
at mathematical calculation. With ease every problem
was solved by him in common school mathematics before
he ever attended school. His mathematical mind was the
subject of much comment, and he has only accomplished
in that sphere what was prophesied for him. October 10,
1871, he entered Shaw University, then known as the
Shaw Collegiate Institute. Here he pursued an eminently
satisfactory life, entering the lowest grade and passing up
the line through a college course, eliciting the praise and
commendation of the president and faculty May, 1878,
he graduated with much honor and received the applause
of his fellow-students and the congratulations of his
friends.

Having been converted March, 1872, and feeling a call to
the ministry, he was ordained to the work of a gospel
minister May 20, 1877 Rev Roberts' ability as a math-

NICHOLAS FRANKLIN ROBERTS. 207

ematician has steadily promoted him in this department of
educational work, and the professorship of mathematics
has been held- by him in his alma mater ever since gradua
tion, except one year when he labored as general mission-
ary for North Carolina, under the auspices of the American
Baptist Home Mission Society of New York, and the Bap-
tist State Convention of North Carolina. God has thus
given him an extended field of usefulness where he might
develop into a powerful man. Blount Street Baptist
church, Raleigh, North Carolina, called for him to serve
them as their pastor on July 2, 1882. This pastoral
work has been done in connection with his work as profes-
sor, and they have been of mutual help to each other.
There is great love existing between the pastor and the
people, and the church has prospered, adding year by year
to their numbers "such as shall be saved." Asa Sabboth-
school worker, earnestness and love to God has character-
ized his life. From 1873 to 1883, a period of ten consecu-
tive years, he has held the position of president of the State
Sunday School convention, and in October, 1885, he was
unanimously elected president of the State Baptist con-
vention, which position he now holds, esteemed by all
the brethren of the State. His position makes him the
representative of 100,000 colored Baptists, and as such he
is recognized and respected. His position in the university
gives him prestige among the educated, and his indorse-
ment by the convention shows the people are in favor of
education.

208 MEN OF MARK.

XIX.

HON. THEOPHILE T ALLAIN.

Stale Senator of Louisiana— Agitator of Educational Measures and In-
ternal Improvements— Contractor for Repairing Levees.

AFTER the battle at Salamis, the generals of the differ-
ent trreek states met in council to vote to each other
prizes for distinguished individual merit. Were the task
mine to pick from the ranks of Louisiana's sons those who
have in the face of opposition towered head and shoulders
above their fellow men, shedding lustre on the name of the
sons of Ham, the subject of my sketch would take front
rank. Having passed through forty-one years of the
most eventful period of the Nation's history, it is but nat-
ural that he should have from boyhood thought on and
traced the struggles to which the race has been subject,
and that his heart would be stirred with that patriotic
devotion which sacrifices luxurious idleness on the shrine
of duty Opposition calls forth resistance, and it may be
well that the Africo- American has prejudice to fight,
otherwise Mr. Allain, with scores of other noble men,
would be quietly performing personal duties, letting the
world surge in at their windows, but never going out to
meet it. October 1, 1846, on the Australian Plantation

T. T. ALLAIN.

THEOPHILE T ALLAIN. 209

Parish of West Baton Rouge, was born Theophile, a boy
who evinced at an early age those signs which point to
future usefulness. His mother, "a pretty brown woman,"
possessing all the taste and attractions found among
those of more fortunate circumstances than falls to the
lot of a slave, attracted the attention and affection of her
master, a millionaire of culture, who was the father of
this son. Mr. Sosthene Allain, in the prime of life, was
surrounded by all the comforts which taste and a princely
income can give. Setting at naught the sentiments of the
land, he shared these comforts with the mother and his
dear "Soulouque," often refusing to take his meals unless
the boy ate with him. Air. Allain always spent his sum-
mers North or in Europe, but not without taking Theo-
phile, who received the same accommodations. When he
was ten 3^ears old his father, who was in Paris, sent for
him, and he was sent in charge of Madam Boudousquie, an
accomplished actress, who treated him with love and kind-
ness. When the ship landed at Havre, ten thousand people
were there to welcome the Emperor Soulouque of Hayti,
but instead it was the "Soulouque " of our sketch. These
yearly visits, the contact with other customs, was a more
liberal education to the observing boy than could have
been acquired by years of application to books. He was
present at the christening of the Prince Imperial at the
church of Notre Dame de Paris, attended bathing school
and accompanied his father everywhere he went. Return-
ing to America he entered school in 1859 under Professor
Abadie, New Orleans, Louisiana, and in 1868 entered a
private school in New Brunswick, New Jersey. In 1869

210 MEN OF MARK.

he returned home and went into the grocery business in
West Baton Rouge and Iberville and remained until 1873,
when he invested largely in sugar and rice cultivation.
Genius in one man may run in the line of literature, in
another, art, but in this man business seems to be the
ruling passion. For twenty years he has been a success-
ful shipper of sugar, syrup, molasses and rice, and every
day brings him in business contact with the leading com-
mercial men of the South. Every Exchange in the city of
New Orleans is open to him. In 1883 the total crop on
his plantation was estimated at four hundred barrels of
syrup. Although living in competency, his sympathies
are all with the laboring class. At the Sugar Planters'
convention which met in New Orleans, August 20, 1884,
a resolution was offered for the appointment of a commit-
tee to collect "data as to the cost of land, labor, food,
stock, fuel, etc., with the idea of producing cheaper sugar.
Hon. Allain opposed it on the ground that it meant
simply the cutting down of wages for the laborer." At
another time in the Legislature, he said : "I tell you, gen-
tlemen, that when .you cultivate any spirit of animosity
between the tillers of the soil on one hand and the proprie-
tors on the other, you cut your own throats. Nature and
nature's God have so arranged it, that labor and capital are
mutually dependent upon each other." Besides this busi-
ness he is giving work to more laborers than any colored
man in the "public works of the country, "being under bond
and contract with the State of Louisiana to put up within
three years one hundred and fifty thousand yards of levee.
When the levees of the Mississippi were in a deplorable

THEOPHILE T. ALLAIN. 211

condition, the Republican Executive and Financial com-
mittee of the Third Congressional District of Louisiana,
of which Hon. L. A. Martinet was secretary, met April
8, 1882, and adopted the following resolutions. We give
the full statement and all the immediate outgrowth
thereof. Mr. Allain counts the following as the champion
record of his life. He desires this record handed down to
his children.

RECORD.

The credentials below were furnished him in Louisiana,
and he went to Washington, District of Columbia, and
appeared before the committee on commerce :

Mr. Allain, upon being introduced by the Hon. R. L. Gibson of Louis-
iana, presented to the committee the following credentials :

Resolved, That Hons. T. T. Allain and George Drury be appointed a
committee to proceed to Washington to lay before the President and
those in authority, the deplorable condition of the Mississippi levees, and
urge the necessity on the part of the National Government of taking
early action toward building and maintaining the same, and also to ask
a continuance of government aid to the sufferers from the present over-
flow.

Resolved further, That the said committee is hereby authorized to
present to the President the condition of political affairs in this State, so
far as the Third Congressional district is concerned.

New Orleans, Louisiana, April 8, 1882.
To all whom it may concern :

I hereby certify that the foregoing is a true copy of resolutions adopted
at a meeting of the executive and finance committee of the Third Con-
gressional district of this State, held in this city March 27, 1882.

L. A. Martinet,
Secretary Republican Executive and Finance Committee,
Third Congressional District, Louisiana.

212 MEN OF MARK.

New Orleans, April 5, 1882.
To the honorable Senators and Representatives in Congress from the
State of Louisiana :

The undersigned Republicans and Federal officials here regard with
great pleasure the selection and appointment of Hon. T. T. Allain, a
su°-ar planter, and representative Republican of the parish of Iberville,
by the Republican committee of the Third Congressional district of
Louisiana, to proceed to Washington, District of Columbia, and en-
deavor to enlist the services of our Representatives and Senators and the
National administration for the purpose of rebuilding and maintaining
of the levees of the Mississippi river by the National Government, and we
commend him to the attention of the authorities, and trust his mission
may be eminently successful.

Very respectfully,

Don. A. Pardee.

Edward C. Billings.

A.J. Dumont.

T. B. Stamp.

M. V Davis.

A. S. Badger.

Jack Wharton.

P. B. S. Pinchback.

Sam'l Wakefield.

James Lewis.

L. A. Martinet.

ROBT. F- GUICHARD.

New Orleans, April 8, 1882.
To the Senate and House Committees on the Improvement of the Mis-
sissippi River :

Mr. T. T. Allain having informed me of his intention to visit Washing-
ton, and as a sugar-planter interested in the reparation and maintenance
of the levees in this State, and as a Representative of the colored people
of this State, it gives me pleasure to indorse and recommend his mission
as one of much importance.

I regard the colored laborer as well adapted to the cultivation of
sugar and to the diseases of this climate, and should consider it as a mis-

THEOPHILE T. ALLAIN. 213

fortune if it should be discouraged and driven away b3' the inability of
the planter to restore the levees.

Congress, in protecting the great American interest of sugar, may in-
cidentally provide employment for a great number of her colored race,
estimated at more than one hundred thousand.

Air. Allain deserves approval for his public spirit in urging upon Con-
gress the importance of promptly assuming charge of the levees of
Louisiana, and will be entitled to the gratitude of the planters and
laborers for any influence he may exercise in securing the adoption of a
system -which will prevent Louisiana from the calamity of an overflow,
and the public from the abandonment, and possibly the destruction of
the sugar crop, which now retains at home more than $25,000,000,
otherwise exported for the purchase of foreign sugar.
Your obedient servant,

R. S. Howard,
President Chamber of Commerce.

New Orleans Cotton Exchange,

New Orleans, April 6, 1882.
Hon. T. T. Al!ain, Louisiana State representative, is entitled to full
encouragement and assistance from our Senators and Representatives in
Congress, as a delegate from the suffering people of the overflowed sec-
tion of Louisiana.

We therefore recommend him to their good offices, and earnestly
request that he be granted such hearing as the importance of his
mission warrants, which mission is to show fully the dire necessities of
our people and their claims upon the general government for assistance
in protecting themselves from a recurrence of the terrible disasters
through which they are now suffering,

Very respectfully,

Thomas L. Airey,
President New Orleans Cotton Exchange.

New Orleans Stock Exchange,

New Orleans, April 8, 1882.
The New Orleans Stock Exchange cordially indorses the mission as
^represented by Hon. T. T. Allain to succor the distressed sufferers from

214 MEN OF MARK.

the overflow, and trusts that his efforts to bring influence to rebuild

our levees will be successful.

T. S. Barton,

President,
A. A. Brinsmade, Secretary.

New Orleans, April 6, 1882.
To Hon. W. P. Kellogg, U. S. Senator from Louisiana, and Hon. C. B.
Darrall, Representative Third Congressional District of Louisiana,
Washington. D. C.

Gentlemen : The undersigned, members of the Americus Club of this
city, beg to commend to your favorable attention Hon. T. T. Allain,.
representative from Iberville Parish in our present State Legislature,
who has been appointed to visit Washington, District of Columbia, by
the Third Congressional District Committee of the State of Louisiana,
with the view of obtaining National aid in rebuilding and maintaining
the levees of the Mississippi river.

We ask that your aid and influence be given him in accomplishing this
desirable object, and thanking you for your joint and individual effort in
behalf of these interests, subscribe ourselves,

Yours respectfully,

Wm. A. Halston,

Secretary Executive Committee.
P. Landry, Corresponding Secretary.
Jas. E. Porter,

First Vice, Acting President.
Geo. H. Walker,

Secretary Americus Club.
Fred. Simms,

Treasurer Americus Club.
F. Moss, Vice-President.
F. M. Ward,

Chairman Executive Committee,
Americus Club.
Thomas J. Boswell.
A. P. Williams.
Geo. G. Johnson.

W. SlLVERTHORN.

J. E. Martinez.
W S. Wilson.
James D. Macary.

THEOPHILE T. ALLAIN. 215

C. A. Philippi & Co.,
Cotton Factors and Commission Merchants,
No. 48 Union Street, New Orleans, April 6, 1882.

To our Senators and Representatives in Congress:

Gentlemen: Hon. T. T. Allain, a piominent representative of the
parish of Iberville, is delegated by a large number of planters and busi-
ness men of Iberville and this city to proceed to Washington, to intercede
with our Senators and Representatives in Congress, in asking the Na-
tional government to build and maintain the levees of the Mississippi
river. We desireto state that we furnished him on and for making his
sugar crop about $4,000 within the last two years, all of which he has
paid.

We therefore take pleasure in recommending Mr. Allain to our delega-
tion in Congress, and ask a favorable consideration for the cause he
advocates, and commend his statements.

Very respectfully,

C. A. Philippi & Co.

Office of Renshaw, Cammack & Co.,
Cotton and Sugar Factors, No. 32 Perdido Street,
New Orleans, Louisiana, March 28, 1882.

To whom it may concern :

We have had business relations with the Hon. T. T. Allain, of Iberville

parish during several years, and feel satisfied that any statement he

might make concerning the condition of the levees and the consequent

needs of the river parishes may be confidently relied on.

Very respectfully,

Renshaw. Cammack & Co.

Ar. Mittenberger & Pollock.

E. B. Wheelock.

Stauffer Macready & Co.

Hansell & Webster.

j. w. burbridge.

I fully and cheerfully indorse all that is said above, and commend Mr.

Allain to the Louisiana delegation in Congress, and respectfully request

their thorough co-operation in his patriotic purpose.

I. N. Marks.

216 MEN OF MARK.

Citizens' Bank of Louisiana,
Banking Department,
New Orleans, April 8. 1882.
To the Hon. Senators and Representatives of the State of Louisiana in
Congress, Washington, D. C. :

Gentlemen: The bearer, the Hon. T. T. Allain, a sugar planter ol
excellent repute, from parish Iberville, in our State, and no doubt
known to most of you, comes to Washington accredited as a delegate
from his parish and district, to intercede with members of Congress for
an early and ample appropriation toward rebuilding the Mississippi
river levees for the future protection of agricultural interests against a
repetition of the disastrous and ruinous flood which has this year deso-
lated so large a portion of our State.

We earnestly solicit from yourselves and associates in both houses a
favorable consideration and prompt action toward the desired end, never
so indispensable as now.

Very respectfully, your obedient servants,

E. L. Carriere,

President,
Jas. J. Tarleton,

Cashier.

Office of Tertrou & Pugh,
Cotton and Sugar Factors,
New Orleans, March 28, 1882.
Hon. R. L. Gibson, Washington :

Dear Sir : We take pleasure in introducing to your acquaintance Hon.
T. T. Allain, a prominent planter of the parish of Iberville, in this State,
being a neighbor to a plantation whose owners are in Paris, and of
whom we are the agents. Mr. Allain is from a parish in which are many
large plantations and wealthy planters, and is personally known to us.
He intends visiting Washington for and on account of levee purposes.

We therefore recommend him to your consideration and any aid or in-
formation which he may need, and extend to him, will be appreciated by,

Yours respectfully,

Tertrou & Pugh,

I cordially indorse Hon. T. T. Allain as worthy and intelligent. Any

courtesy extended him will be appreciated.

Respectfully,

Cyrus Bussey.

THEOPHILE T ALLAIN. 217

Office of the Manhattan Life Insurance Company,
156 and 158 Broadway, New Orleans, Louisiana, March 28, 1882.
Hon. B. F Jonas, Washington, D. C. :

Dear Sir : Hon. T T. Allain, of Iberville parish, visits Washington in
the interest of levee protection for the State at large, and has the influ-
ence of our best citizens to aid his mission. As Mr. Allain represents the
combined political elements of his parish, doubtless his visit will result in
great benefit, just at this condition of distress arising from present high
water.

I have the honor to be, respectfully, etc.,

H. M. Isaacson.

THE SPEECH.

Mr. Allain said :

Mr. Chairman: The papeis and documents which I have had the
honor to present to you from the New Orleans Chamber of Commerce,
the Cotton Exchange, and a number of prominent, wealthy, and deeply
interested merchants and other business men of that city, together with
the indorsement and recommendations of the Republican committee of
the Third Congressional district of Louisiana, are the sanctions of author-
ity and the credentials on which I venture to appear before you ; not,
however, without a profound sense of my inability to do full justice to a
subject of such vast importance as the preservation of the levees of the
Mississippi river by the National government, the advocacy of which I
am charged with.

And, cheerfully as I respond to the obligations thus imposed, my diffi-
dence is not at all diminished, and especially, when I remember how fre-
quently, fully, forcibly— and, we had hoped, conclusively— it has been
fhown by facts, figures, arguments, and demonstrations that it was —
and as it now is— the interest and the duty of the National government to
build and keep in repair the levees of its mighty river, the Mississippi.

It is mine to-day, sir, to once more tread this beaten path, and if it be
true that there is no evil without its corresponding good, it is mine to
seize the lamentable opportunity, the moment when millions of acres of
cultivable and cultivated cotton, sugar, and rice lands are many feet
under water; when thousands of families are flooded out of their homes,
.are taking refuge everywhere, anywhere from the angry flood; when a

218 MEN OF MARK.

hundred thousand laborers, driven by the waters, have fled in every di-
rection, to the utter demoralization of labor; when horses, mules, oxen,
and innumerable, but valuable lesser animals are destroyed or sacrificed
in one way or the other ; I say that at this moment of our deepest affliction
I am commissioned to come here and appeal to you and to the government
to use every exertion, to relax no effort to save our section (as far as.
human agency and human effort Can rescue us ) from the periodic recur-
rence of these calamitous overflows.

I may state, as an absolute fact, that the States whose lands are peri-
odically overflowed by the Mississippi river are utterly unable to build
and maintain the levees to meet these occasional emergencies.

This argument in itself would not, I know, constitute any valid basis
for our claim that the National government should therefore assume the
task of efficiently providing against the disasters.

I have, therefore, been at some pains to prepare my statements to for-
tify the position I now assume, and that is, that it is the interest and the
duty of the United States Government to construct and maintain an effi-
cient S3rstem of levees along the banks of the Miosissippi river, and that
upon it must rest the enormous moral responsibility, at least, of the
incalculable suffering and losses which are entailed by the overflows.

It is not necessary for me to labor to show you that the United States
possessing and exercising the powers and prerogatives of absolute own-
ership of this mighty inland sea, is placed thereby under obligation to
adopt every necessary precaution to keep it within bounds.

I take it that this branch of the subject having been so well and so fre-
quently set before the government I need not dwell on it here.

I cannot resist the temptation, however, to quote the following forci-
ble language from the speech of Hon. James B. Eustis, late United States
Senator from my State :

"We know, Mr. President, that the jurisdictional authority of the
United States Government is exclusive over that river throughout its
length, and we know how that jurisdictional authority was acquired.
It was acquired by the statutes of the United States and by the decisions
of the Supreme Court. In the early period of our history there was a
conflict going on between the Federal authority and the State govern-
ments, with reference to the jurisdiction over navigable streams, a con-
troversy which was as acrimonious upon the bench of the Supreme Court

THEOPHILE T. ALLAIN. 219

as was the slavery question. It was finally determined, after twenty-five
years of contest, that the maritime and admiralty jurisdiction over those
streams was exclusively vested in the Federal government; and only a
short time ago, as high up as Shreveport, on Red river, it was decided
that the admiralty and maritime jurisdiction over that stream was ex-
clusively vested in the United States Government. Thatjurisdictionisan
exhaustive jurisdiction. It denies to the States any authority, or any
power, or any responsibility, or any obligation whatsoever touching the
Mississippi river. The United States Government can bridge it; the
United States Government can determine what commerce shall be carried
on that river, what shall be the means of transportation on that river,
who shall have the privilege of navigating that river ; and it is even said
in one of the decisions of the Supreme Court that it has the authority to
change the channel of that river.

" Now, I ask, Mr. President, why is it, if every individual in this land,
every corporation, is obliged to discharge the obligations and the re-
sponsibilities and the duties arising from the mere tutorship or control
of property — I ask upon what ground can the United States absolve
itself from that obligation and from that responsibility, particularly
when we consider the immense loss and devastation and ruin which
result from omitting to discharge that obligation ? And I do not under-
stand that there is any such thing as degree in national duties and
national obligations. If I can convince the Senate that it is the duty of
the United States Government, that it is an obligation of the United
States Government, it then follows that it is as much a question of
national faith to discharge that duty, to discharge that obligation, as
for the Government of the United States to pay the interest on its public
debt."

Passing from this branch of the subject to the ability of the govern-
ment, I presume that there is not one well-informed citizen of this great
Republic that raises this question.

Then, if all these things be true, the only essential lacking is the willing-
ness of the government to recognize the propriety, the justice, and the
obligation to undertake this work.

And I hold that it is as much to the interest as it is the duty of gov-
ernment to undertake the task of protecting the lands on both sides of
its river from incursions by its occasionally turbulent stream.

220

MEN OF MARK.

It is the interest of the National Government because of the enormous
revenue — the support — which it derives from the section of country which
suffers from overflows.

I am aware that this is an appeal to the Nation on the lowest plane—
the sordid motive of self-interest, but the argument I hold is sound and
the conclusions I shall draw most just.

Taking Louisiana as the illustration, look at our production and the
revenue which the National Government derives as the necessary direct
result of our agricultural products.

Not to be tedious, Mr. Chairman, I will offer the tabulated statement
of Hon. R. L. Gibson, one of our congressmen, in his recent speech on the
Hawaian treaty and sugar.

I give you our production of sugar from 1870 to 1880, and rice from
1877 to 1880:

Year.

Hogsheads.

1869-'70 87,090

1870-'71 144,881

1871-'72 128,461

1872-'73 108,520

1873-'74 89,498

lS74-'75 116,867

1875-'76 144,146

1876-'77 169,331

1877-'78 127,753

1878-'79 213,221

1879-'80 169,972

Sugar.

Pounds.
99,452,946
168,878,592
146,906,125
125,346,493
103,241,119
134,504,691
163,418,070
190,672,570
147,101,941
239,478,753
198,962,278

Molasses.

Gallons.

5,724,256
10,281,419
10,019,958

8,898,640

8,203,944
11,516,828
10,870,546
12,024,108
14,237,280
13,218,404
12,189,190

Rice.

Pounds.

35,080,520
36,592,310

20,728,520

In the matter of cotton it is as important as it is interesting to note a
few particulars.

The Southern country produced in 1880 the enormous amount of
2,770,000,000 (two billions seven hundred and seventy millions) of
pounds of raw cotton, which is nearly four-fifths of the entire cotton crop
of the world.

During the war we had no production to, speak of; but after that
dreary period, and when we had resumed cultivation under the new and
improved order of things, the increase in the production of this staple
became marked.

THEOPHILE T. ALLAIN.

221

Every year since 1866-'67, except in overflow years, we have increased
our cotton production until 1880, when we reached the magnificent
figures of 6,611,000 bales, as will be more fully seen by the following
extract from the report of "Louisiana Products," by Commissioner W.
H. Harris, to the Legislature of 1881 :

COTTON CROP OF THE SOUTH.

Year.

Crop.

Year.

Crop.

1872-73

3,930,508
4,185,534
3,832,991
4,669,283
4,485,423

1877-'78

4,773,765
5,074,155
5,761,252
6,611,000

1873-'74

1878-'79

1874-'75

1879-'80

1875-'76

1880-'81

1876-'77

The value, sir, of these staple productions of our lands, which are
largely subject to overflow, make an aggregate value that to me, at
least, is perfectly bewildering.

I have heard it declared the conception of a million was an overtax on
an ordinary mind. But, sir, when we figure up the annual value of our
sugar, cotton, and rice crops, we cannot but be astounded to find that
we run up into hundreds of millions of dollars.

This year, sir, unfortunately we shall find no difficulty in computing
and comprehending the value of our production.

But when it is taken into account that we pay cheerfully into the
National treasury our proportion of the taxes for the support of
government, and that from such an exhibit, brief and incomplete
as it is, it can be readily seen that in this matter we are not paupers, and
that we need feel no hesitancy in coming up here urging and demanding
that the National Government, which so generously, but not always
wisely, donates millions upon millions to railroads, should return to us a
modicum of our contributions in the shape of the preservation of the
levees of the great Father of Waters.

The loss in revenue to the United States Government this year will be
greater than the few millions we are asking and which we deserve to
have.

222 MEN OF MARK.

Again, the expenditure of over a million of dollars in rations, which
have been hurried to our rescue so promptly and so cheerfulh', is an ex-
penditure that might have been better utilized.

Build the levees and keep them in order, and then we shall not need to
appeal for bread and meat, and tents and medicines.

Demoralizing as we know these things to be, we earnestly desire to
dispense forever with the reliance on charit\' for food and shelter. But
driven b3r our extremities, we have been compelled to once more tolerate
the call for and dependence on "rations."

It seems to me, Mr. Chairman, that where so many important channels
of profit are neglected that there must be some duty in the matter, and
hence I say that it is the duty of the National Government to undertake
without further delay the construction and keeping in order an efficient
system of levees along the Mississippi banks.

For years we have had river committees, and river conventions, and
Mississippi Valley conventions, and public meetings, and public speeches,
and monster petitions, all in the direction of urging on Congress the
dutj' of undertaking this work, but up to this date all of our appeals have
been unavailing.

I say, sir, that we hold it to be the constitutional prerogative and duty
of Congress to provide "for the welfare of the United States."

We form, in the relations we have alluded to, no inconsiderable portion
of the United States, and our welfare is materially injured by the trespass
of the river, and when we observe Congress recognizing the loud and just
clamor raised against the imprisonment abroad of American citizens,
and dealing with the the question as suits a free republic ; when we see
the interest taken in projedls to check the influx of Chinese, even to the
practical abrogation of a solemn treaty with China, without the con-
sent of "the other party;" when we see Congress undertaking the lauda-
ble, if gigantic, task of even regulating the polygamists of Utah ; when
we see, last, but not least, the beneficent propositions seriously made by
a revered Senator to provide for the education of the aboriginal Indians
of our country, and I refledl that the warrant and the authority for the
accomplishment of these diversified objects, and that these all are re-
garded as duties of the United States Government, I wonder whether the
interests of a million of people in Lousiana, a people who feel that by

THEOPHILE T. ALLAIN. 223

every just and patriotic consideration should — are entitled to have their
" welfare " considered by the government to the extent we are seeking.

A continued neglect of the performance of the duty cannot but result
in permanent disaster to the sections periodically overflowed, and the
responsibility for the decay, the ruin, the bankruptcies, and the neglected
fields will rest on the shoulders, on the only proper, the only competent,
and the only efficient power to avert them — the Government of the United
States.

I present you the following statement, made by one of the best informed
men in the State, on the overflow, Major E. A. Burke, who has person-
ally visited and inspected the crevasses, the condition of the levees, river,
and the cost that the State would incur in rebuilding the levees. He
says:

" Eighty-one crevasses in State, from 300 to 1,500 feet each. Say an
an averge of 900 feet in length of each levee washed away, making a
running length of 72,900 feet, or say 1,043,000 yards of levee swept
away — costing $260,750. To reconstruct the same levees, owing to the
effect of the crevasses on the land requiring extra wings to gulches, etc.,
would require earthwork of at least double that quantity, or say an ex-
penditure in Louisiana of $521,500, as a result of the flood of 1882, and
without estimating the crevasses previously in existence. Those crevas-
ses were the Bonnet Carre, in Saint John Parish, Morganza, in Pointe
Coupee, Diamond Island, in Tensas, and Ashton, in East Carroll, all
large crevasses broken a length of about nine miles of extra large levees,
seventeen and eighteen feet in height, or 1,800,000 cubic yards. Owing to
the great height of levees, the cost of rebuilding would be fully fifty cents per
cubic yard, or $900,000 to reconstruct old levees. Thus we find that it
would cost over $1,400,000 to reconstruct the levees broken by crevasses
in Louisiana, a sum utterly beyond our ability."

Add loss cotton, sugar, miscellaneous, fences, stock.

I speak of demoralization, scattering of people, rising of water, under
the head of crevasses.

But, sir, my vocabulary is too limited to express to you what "crevas-
ses" in the banks of the Mississippi mean. I will therefore again borrow
from the speech of Mr. Eustis. He says:

"Now, sir, a crevasse in the levees of the Mississippi river is something
of which the imagination, unaided by observation, can scarcely form any

224; MEN OF MARK.

accurate conception. At first [it may be but a. slender thread of water
percolating through a crawfish hole, or a slight abrasion in the upper
surface caused by the waves set in motion by a passing steamer or by a
sudden storm, but in a few hours the seemingly innocent rill is swollen to
a resistless torrent, the great wall of earth has given way before the tre-
mendous pressure of the mighty river, and the waters rush through the
opening with a force which soon excavates it to a depth of thirty or forty
feet, with a roar which rivals the voice of Niagara and with a velocity
which is great enough to draw an incautious steamer into the boiling
vortex.

" The effect is not simply that of an overflow, which may subside in a
da}- or two. The level of the river, at its flood, is above that of the sur-
rounding country; and, consequently, when the embankments break, it
is as if an ocean were turned upon the land. In a short time the neigh-
boring country is converted into a sea. Cattle and horses are swept
away and drowned, or forced to seek refuge on the few dry spots which
remain among the seething waters; the crops are destroyed, and the people
in many cases are forced to abandon their homes. Sometimes, indeed,
the land itself is greatly injured by these inundations; for, while the floods
which come from the Red river, or the Ohio, or even the Arkansas, bring
some compensation in the fertilizing character of the deposits which they
leave behind, those of the Missouri, being charged with sand and alkaline
earths swept down from the great deserts of the west, have a pernicious
and sometimes even a ruinous effect on the lands which they invade.

" In the year 1874, the phenomena which I have feebly described oc-
curred on so extensive a scale that the catastrophe may well be regarded
as a national calamity. Through the thirty Louisiana crevasses and the
permanent openings in Arkansas, and through the breaks on the left
bank a vast body of water overspread a district of country more than
three hundred miles in extent from the north to the south, and averaging
fifty miles from east to west. I take no account, sir, in this statement,
of the vast tracts inundated by the overflows of tributary rivers. I
limit myself to the direct influence of the Mississippi waters from the
Arkansas southward, and within this region, more than three hundred
miles in length by fifty miles in width, as I have said, about 22,000 square
miles, much of it arable and cultivated land, much of it the most produc-
tive portion of the southwest, was laid under water for many weeks."

THEOPHILE T ALLAIX. 225

And strong and pointed and forcible as is this description, it is but a
faint representation of the present condition of affairs in Louisiana. I
have here, sir, a map of the State showing the overflowed districts of
1882.

There are a million of acres of the richest and most productive sugar,
cotton and rice lands under water.

There are a hundred and twenty thousand human beings driven from
their homes to seek shelter anywhere from the ravages of the flood.

Conjure up the picture, sir, if you can ; look down the river as far as
the eye can reach, every curve, every bend straightened ; look on the right
hand and then on the left as far as the eye can reach, and see the vast
and apparently illimitable ocean of water.
Water, water everywhere.

Remember, now that underneath this vast body, this "crevasse," lay
buried the seed cane, the cotton-seed, the rice, the cereals, the homes, the
all of over one hundred thousand people.

The picture of calamity can not be depicted by human pen or tongue.
And remembering that these dire afflictions are of periodical recurrence,
I am the more impressed with the necessity of using every legitimate
appeal to the justice, and philanthropy, if you please, of this great Nation
to come to our rescue.

And I cannot let this opportune moment escape me, as the representa-
tive of a class who, born and held in bondage until the utterance of the
ever-living, ever-abiding decree of the immortal Lincoln gave them un-
conditional liberty, to specially invite consideration to an important
feature of this question.

By this overflow, for the third time since freedom, our country has
been flooded and desolated.

For the third time a hundred thousand stalwarts, yeomen, to the manor
born, inured to toil, and living and laboring equally safe in the burning
suns of August, the epidemic period of September, or the genial season
of March and April.

For the third time, sir, this large, this necessary, this indispensable class,
starting with nothing of this world's goods, but with "heart within and
God o'erhead," assumed their new relations, determined to justify the
act of their enfranchisement, determined to vindicate their title to the
exalted position of equal citizenship in our great country, determined to

226 MEN OF MARK.

erect homes, acquire property, build up their families, establish churches,
support schools, cultivate the arts of peace, and so rise in the scale of hu-
manity, and all the while contributing to the material prosperity of the
section in which they reside.

But they cannot continue living and laboring under the apprehension
of having their all remorselessly swallowed up every four or five years.

It requires no gift of prophecy to foretell that if this government per-
sists in its refusal to keep its river confined to its regular channel (and
we don't care how you do it) and thus prevent these overflows, there will
be an exodus, a serious and permanent change of abode by a vast
number of our laboring population, who canndt continue to endure the
losses entailed by the disastrous overflows.

And in these days of railroads and enterprise, of openings up of sections of
our common country not subject to overflow, and with climates as genial
for us as our own, the danger of the loss of this element is considerably
increased.

So speaking for this element, I say to the representatives of that glorious
party which enacted the thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth amendments
to the Constitution of the United States, come once more to our rescue and
save us from the necessity of abandoning our homes, the land of our
birth, the clime and the products to which we are suited and which are
suited to us, and the sympathy and increased loyalty of every black
man, woman and child in Louisiana, yes, and in the United States, will
be cordially given to you for this act of justice and humanity.

We are all, in Lousiana, "without regard to race, color, or previous
condition," solicitous to avert the damages from overflow, and hence the
unanimity among the representatives of the business and the wealth of
our State, and of the two great parties, with which I have been authenti-
cated to you, to all of whom I extend my humble and heartfelt thanks.

Finally, sincerely thanking you for the patience and attention with
which you have honored me, I have but to saythatif you keepthe Missis-
sippi out of our lands and homes we will in the near future turn 7,000,000
bales of cotton ; we will send to market 250,000 hogsheads of sugar,
20,000,000 gallons of molasses, 25,000,000 pounds of rice, and develop
a new industr3' dawning upon us; we will send to the North in March
our early cereals, our spring poultry, and Southern home products, while
the snow and the ice of winter remain on your lands and fields.

THEOPHILE T ALLAIN. 227

Sir, we make three appeals for protection.

We appeal against the ravages of the mighty waters of the Mississippi;
we appeal against the admission of foreign sugars to our markets free of
duty ; and, thirdly, we, the Negroes of the South appeal to you to pro-
tect us, our properties, and our lives against the annual overflows of the
great river, in order that we may enjoy the benefits of liberty, husband
the fruits of our industry, educate our children, and continue to increase
our productions, and protect the fruits of our labor, which now is two-
thirds of the cotton crops, four-fifths of the sugar crops, and very near
all the rice crops.

We appeal to the National Government, which, in the name of Almighty
God, we thank for all that we have, to take charge of the levees of the
Mississippi river, and under the direction and supervision of officers of
the government to maintain them.

Finally, again thanking those who commissioned, and you who so pa-
tiently listened to me, I rejoice above them in the proud reflection that,
in the sublime language of Frederick Douglass, I appear here "in the
more elevated character of an American citizen."

This speech was made Tuesday, April 18, 1882, at eleven
a. m., before the following committee on commerce : Hon.
Horace F Page, of California, Chairman; David P Rich-
ardson, of New York; Amos Townsend, of Ohio; RoswellG.
Horr, of Michigan; William D. Washburn, of Minnesota ;
JohnW Candler, of Massachusetts; William Ward, of Penn-
sylvania; John D.White, of Kentucky Melvm C. George,
of Oregon; Richard Guenther, of Wisconsin; John H. Rea-
gan, of Texas; Robert M.McLane, of Maryland; Randall
L. Gibson, of Louisiana; Miles Ross, of New Jersey;
Thomas H. Herndon, of Alabama.

It will be remembered that the question of levees affected
more directly the prosperity of the State than all the
others combined. It is not a small matter that this colored
man should be selected by the most prominent business

228 MEN OF MARK.

men of the section. President Arthur said : "No man can
present papers from any part of the country that could
say more." He pleaded well for his constituents, telling
the true state of affairs and giving a reason for everv
demand made. Hon. Allain possesses a large amount of
perseverance. Ten years before this, 1872-74, while serv-
ing his first term in the Legislature he agitated this ques-
tion. In 1875 he was elected to the State Senate and
remained until 1878. 1879 finds him a member of the
Constitutional convention, and from '79 to '86 in the
House of Representatives again. Sixteen years of public
life is no short time for one who is still young. Hon.
Allain is a strong advocate of popular education, and is
second to no man in the State when it comes to educa-
tional matters for the colored people. He was the first
man after the war to organize public schools in West
Baton Rouge for both the white and colored children.
In 1886, Mr. Allain introduced a bill in the Legislature
asking for an appropriation of twenty thousand dollars
and secured fourteen thousand dollars for the purpose of
erecting the College buildings of the "Southern University."
In a speech at the laying of the "corner stone" he said:
"I look forward to a period not far distant, when Louis-
iana will be able to have a white and colored school-house
dotting every nook and corner in the State of our birth,
the home of our choice, with a public sentiment advocat-
ing for high and low, for white and colored popular
education." January 27, 1877, he offered at the "Farm-
ers' State Association," a resolution requesting the asso-
ciation to recommend the passage of an act by the

THEOPHILE T ALLAIN. 229

Legislature to establish an Industrial school fof the educa-
tion of colored people. Under the caption "A Good
Move," January 15, 1887, the Weekly Iberville South
quotes from the Louisiana Standard :

Hon. T.T. Allain has succeeded in having designated as Depositories for
Public Records the four institutions in our city which are attended
almost exclusively by colored children, viz : Straight, Southern, Leland,
and New Orleans universities. Mr. Allain deserves credit for the inter-
est he takes in educational affairs, and as a business man is a success.
While a member of the Republican party, he has always advocated
unification between the two races.

The Terrebonne Times in the September 18, 1886, issue,
accused him of drawing the color line, to which he replied :

I propose to issue a plan for "Unification" in 1888, and will ask the
-colored people in each of the fifty-eight parishes of Louisiana — including
the city of New Orleans — to stand solid and support the nominees of the
National Republican party for President, Vice-President, and for the
members of Congress, but when it comes to State and local offices the
colored man in Louisiana must not allow himself to be bulldozed by
newspaper " Scare-crows." We know, much better than you can tell us,
Mr. Editor, as to who among the "white Republicans" in " Louisiana''
that have been "pure" and "true "to us— and God knows that the
graves of thousands of our "best" men in the South, because of our sup-
port to " white Republican " candidates, should settle and put at rest
forever the question of "gratitude." We must look to the peace, quiet
and wellbeing of our people. We must have Normal and Industrial
schools for our children, and more public schools in the parishes of the
State, and we will go in and vote for the white men of Louisiana in
1888, who have the moral courage to give to their colored fellow-citizens
a fair living chance, and the "enjoyment " of " full American citizenship."

Hon. Allain is an acute thinker, a man of sympathetic
and benevolent nature and large culture. He is known as

230 MEN OF MARK.

one of the "Colored Creoles" of Louisiana, and speaks
French fluently, better than English. He has six children ;
the family affiliates with the Catholic church; the chil-
dren are being educated for future usefulness at Straight
University.

DENMARK VEAZIE. 231

XX.

DENMARK VEAZIE.

" Black John Brown "—Martyr.

NINETEEN years before the opening of this century,
on the island of St. Thomas, was born a child who
was destined to become a martyr for his race. Men may
differ as to what makes a martyr, and believe it comes
through the flesh or the wicked one; but martyrs are
made of such material as fit men to attempt great things
for what they believe to be right. Denmark was pur-
chased by a man named Veazie, after whom he takes his
name. He was fourteen years old when he was purchased.
In 1800 he drew a prize of fifteen hundred dollars in a
lottery. Of course we do not approve of his playing
lottery by any means, but he made good use of six hundred
dollars of the money, securing his freedom thereby. He
was a carpenter by trade, and was the admired of all his
companions, because of his strength and activity. Twenty-
two years later he formed a plan to liberate the slaves of
Charleston, South Carolina. His plan was to put the
whole city to fire and the sword on June 16. He had par-
ticularly objected to any slave joining the conspiracy who

232 MEN OF MARK.

was of that class of waiting men who received presents of
old coats, etc., from their masters, as such slaves would
be likely to betray them. At 10 o'clock at night, the
governor having been informed of the conspiracy by the
treacherv of some of the Negroes, had military companies
thrown around the city, and no one was allowed to pass
in or out.

The slaves who were to come from Thomas Island, and
land on the South bay, and seize the arsenal and guard-
house, failed to do so. Another body that was to seize
the arsenal on the Neck, was also thwarted in its plans.
All the conspirators, finding the town so well protected,
did not attempt that which they intended. On Sunday
afternoon, Denmark Veazie, for the purpose of making pre-
liminary arrangements, had a meeting and dispatched a
courier to inform the country Negroes what to do, but the
courier could not get out of the city, and thus the project
was a failure, but the leader died a martyr upon the
gallows, and the slave who had betrayed him was pur-
chased by the Legislature, thus putting a premium upon
the betrayal of any one who should attempt an insurrec-
tion of this kind. From William C. Nell's 'History of the
Colored Patriots of the American Revolution,' we take the
following :

The number of blacks arrested was 131 ; of these 35 were executed,
41 acquitted, and the rest sentenced to be transported. Many a brave
hero fell, but history, faithful to her high trust, will engrave the name of
Denmark on the same monument with Moses, Hampden, Tell, Bruce,
Wallace, Toussaint L'Ouverture, La Fayette and Washington.

DENMARK VEAZIE. 233

I have stood in the arsenal yard and- seen the place
where these men were executed, and the memory of their
attempt will never fade from the history of the Negroes of
South Carolina.

234 MEN OF MARK.

XXI.

PROFESSOR J. E. JONES, A. B., A. M.

Professor of Homeletics and Greek in the Theological Seminary, Rich-
mond, Virginia — Corresponding Secretary of the Baptist Foreign
Mission Convention.

PROFESSOR J. E. JONES was born of slave parents in
the city of Lynchburg, Virginia, October 15, 1850.
He remained a slave until the surrender. Against the
earnest protestations of his mother he was put to work in
a tobacco factory when not more than six years of age.
This was in that period of the country's history when the
question of human slavery was agitating the minds of the
people from Maine to the Gulf. Then, when the feelings
of the people of b«th sections of the country had almost
reached their limits, the Southern States deemed it ex-
pedient to enact some very stringent laws with respect to
the Negro. Therefore, the State of Virginia passed laws
that prohibited anyone from teaching Negroes how to
read and write, and if anyone was caught violating this
law he would be imprisoned. Young Jones' mother be-
lieved, with all her heart, that the time would come when
the colored people would be liberated. She did not
hesitate to express that belief; she not only expressed it
to her colored friends, but, on one occasion, went so far as

J. E. JONES.

J. E. JONES. 235

to tell her owners the same thing. They regarded this as
simply madness ; but the idea took such hold on her that
she, though ignorant herself, determined that she would
have her1 son taught to read and write. At once she
secured the services of a man who was owned by the same
family as herself. This man agreed to come several nights
each week to give this boy lessons. At this time — during
the year 1864 — things were getting to a desperate state in
the South. Soon, Joseph's teacher began to think that he
was running too much risk in giving these lessons at the
boy's home. He decided that he could not continue. How-
ever, after some reflection another plan was tried. It was
arranged that the pupil should go once a week to the
room of his teacher The time chosen was Sunday
morning between the hours of ten and twelve o'clock.
It was selected because the white people usually spent
this time at church, praying(?) for the success of the Con-
federacy and the continuance of human slavery Toward
the close of the war, the master of the teacher discovered
that he could read and write, and sold him. But this did
not discourage the mother, she was determined, more
than ever, to have her boy taught. After some time she
succeeded in getting a sick Confederate soldier to teach
him. She paid this man by giving him something to eat.
The instruction by this man was cut short after several
months by the surrender of General Lee. Immediately
after the surrender, young Jones' mother placed him in a
private school that had been opened by his first teacher,
the late Robert A. Perkins. Up to this time, while the
boy had made some progress, it could not be said to have

236 MEN OF MARK.

been satisfactory His was of a fun-loving, mischievous dis-
position. On account of this fact, combined with the
irregularity of his lessons and other circumstances, he had
not been impressed very seriously of the importance of
an education. But when he commenced going to school
after the surrender, his progress was more marked. He
continued in this school for two years. The most of this
period he stood head in his classes. The winter following
he spent as a pupil in a private school taught by James
M. Gregory, now a professor in Howard University,
Washington, District of Columbia. He was one of the
best scholars in this school. In the spring of 1868, Joseph
was baptized and connected himself with the Court Street
Baptist church of the city of Lynchburg, Virginia.

In October of the same year, he entered the Richmond
Institute now Richmond Theological Seminary, with a
view of preparing himself for the gospel ministry. He
spent three years there, taking the academic and theologi-
cal studies then taught. In April, 1871, he left Virginia
for Hamilton, New York, and entered the preparatory
department of Madison University, from which he gradu-
ated in 1872. The following fall he entered the university
and after a successful course of study, graduated June,
1876. The same year the American Baptist Home Mis-
sion Societv of New York appointed him instructor in the
Richmond institute, and entrusted him with the branches
of language and philosophy In 1877 he was ordained to
the ministry In 1879, his alma mater conferred upon
him the degree of Master of Arts "in course." For two
years Professor Jones has occupied the chair of Homeletics

J.E.JONES. 237

and Greek in the Richmond Theological Seminary. He has
not only performed well his work in the class room, but
has taken an active part in all the denominational move-
ments as well as other questions relating to the welfare of
his people. He is a member of the Educational Board of
the Virginia Baptist State convention. November, 1883,
Professor Jones was elected corresponding secretary of
the Baptist Foreign Mission Convention of the United
States of America. This convention has grown consider-
ably since he has occupied this position. The Religious
Herald of Richmond, Virginia, in speaking of the subject
of this sketch savs :

Professor Jones is one of the most gifted colored men in America..
Besides being professor in Richmond Theological seminary, he is corre-
sponding secretary of the Baptist Foreign Mission convention. He has
the ear and heart of his people, and fills with distinction the high position
to which his brethren North and South have called him.

Professor Jones has constant demands made upon him
both to speak and to preach. He took an active part in
getting colored teachers into schools, both in his native
city and the city of his adoption. He has corresponded
considerably for newspapers, and at one time was one of
the editors of the Baptist Companion of Virginia. He was
six years president of the Virginia Baptist Sunday School
convention. In June, 1880, he was requested by the cor-
responding secretary of the American Baptist Home Mis-
sion Society of New York, to deliver an address at the
society's anniversary at Saratoga, New York. His sub-
ject was, "The Need and Desire of the Colored People for
these Schools." He spoke in the public halt to a vast

238 MEN OF MARK.

audience which seemed to be perfectly spellbound as he
told the tale of the Negro's condition and surroundings.
The Examiner of New York, in commenting on the address
said:

Mr. Jones is a young colored man, prepossessing in appearance and
manners, and his address would have been creditable to any white
graduate of any Northern college. It was sensible, witty and eloquent.

The Watchman of Boston, in speaking of the same ad-
dress, said :

The speech of the evening was that of Professor Jones, a colored
man. His manly, strong, and sensible address made a stronger
appeal for the education of his race than the words of the most eloquent
advocate.

Two years later, on the twenty-first of June, Professor
Jones was married to Miss Rosa D. Kinckle of I^nchburg,
Virginia, a graduate from the Normal department of
Howard University, and was then a teacher in the public
schools of her city This young man is doing a most ex-
cellent work for the general advancement of his race. He
is very hopeful as to the future of the race. He holds,
however, no Utopian ideas respecting them. He believes,
he says, "If the race would rise in the scale of being, they
must comply with the same laws that conditionate the
rise and development of other people." He points with
pride to not a few of the young men who have gone out
from the Institute since he has been connected with it.
Some of them are succeeding admirably well as doctors,
lawyers, teachers, and ministers of the gospel. Dr Cath-
cart, in the 'Baptist Encyclopaedia,' says:

J. E. JONES. ^39

Professor Jones is an efficient teacher, a popular and instructive
preacher, and a forcible writer. In 1878 he held a newspaper contro-
versy with the Roman Catholic Bishop Keane of Richmond, in which the
bishop, in the estimation of many most competent to judge, was
worsted. Professor Jones is regarded as one of the most promising of
the young colored men of the South.

In following the career of Professor Joseph Endom
Jones, and observing and marking the changes in it, we
can but say that it was simply marvelous — it must have
been divinely ordered and superintended. In his manners
he is princely and attractive. He is never excited, and,
while an enthusiast in his work, is never more careful than
when discussing or planning the preparatory part thereof.
Nothing overthrows him. With great consideration, care-
ful and accurate information, he seldom makes a mistake.
It might seem to one that his interest might be lacking in
any given affair — for he can sit all day and show no desire
to speak, and when all are through he will pointedly show
that no thought was wasted on him, but that he had
given strict attention to the whole matter. Such is the
man.

HO MEN OF MARK.

XXII.

JOHN WESLEY TERRY, ESQ.

Foreman of the Ironing and Fitting Department of the Chicago West
Division Street Car Company — Director and Treasurer of the Chi-
cago Co-operative Packing and Provision Company — Director of the
Central Park Building and Loan Association.

JOHN WESLEY TERRY is only about forty-one years
of age, having, as near as can be ascertained, seen the
light of day in Murry county, Tennessee, in 1846, and
began life a poor, miserable slave, owned by William Pick-
ard till emancipated by the war of the Rebellion. His
mother's name was Mary, and his father's name was
Hayward Terry. When he was but a crawling babe, and
needed a mother's tender care, he with his dear brother,
but little older than himself, were put into a pen that had
been fenced off in one corner of the lot, and there, on the
bare ground with no covering or shelter, had to crawl
around on the ground, unattended from early morning,
when his mother had to go out into the field to work, till
it was too late to continue, when she had to come to the
house and spin "ten cuts "of yarn or cotton before she
was permitted to go to her children and take them from
the pen. The only attention they received through the

JOHN WESLEY TERRY. 241

day was a pan of food placed in the pen b}' their mother
to which they could go and eat.

In 1863, while the Federal army was in possession of
Columbia, Tennessee, his mother took him and his brother
and started for the Union lines. She succeeded and found
protection for herself and her two boys. Henry, the
older, being of sufficient age, enlisted in ^he army, leaving
his mother and brother at Columbia. John remained
with his mother till a Colonel Myers was placed in com-
mand at that point, and who delivered all slaves in his
lines to their masters when they came for them. John
and his mother were unfortunate in being carried back to
Murry county by their old master, who came in search of
them. Colonel Myers had been superseded in com-
mand at Columbia, and the Union forces had advanced
and taken possession in Murry county, at which time
John says: " I proclaimed to the old master, Pickard, my
freedom, and at the same time threatened him with the
Union army for harboring and feeding ' Rebel soldiers '
as he had threatened me with the Secession army for
attempting to gain my freedom." The old man begged
him not to inform them against him and proposed to hire
him for wages if he would not leave him. He worked two
years for the old man for wages, who said he thought it
was "hard to have to pay wages to a 'nigger' he had
owned." After this he worked one year with his father
on the "Terry farm," on Tennessee pike, near Sandy
Hook. The latter part of 1866 he went to Nashville,
Tennessee, to look for his mother, who had made her
second attempt of escape before the Union army took pos-

242 MEN OF MARK.

session of the country around the old farm in Murry
county Finding her, he worked on the steamboat in
1867, during which time his mother kept house for him.

In 1868 he took charge of the farm department known
as the "Younglove Fruit Farm," on "Paradise Hill," and
remained till 1869. Returning to Nashville, he and his
brother Henry opened a "Tailor, Dye and Repair shop,"
and worked at it for about one year; then he entered the
employ of P J Sexton, contractor and builder. Remained
at the trade with him in Nashville till he went with him to
Chicago, in 1872— the year after "the great fire." In 1873
he professed a hope in Christ, united with the Olivet
Baptist church, in Chicago, and was baptized into its
fellowship by the pastor, Rev. R. DeBaptiste. March 11,
1873, he was united in marriage to Miss Catharine Brown
of Nashville, Tennessee, in Olivet Baptist church, Rev. De-
Baptiste officiating. In 1875 he entered the employment
of the Chicago West Division Street Car company, in their
"car shops," and worked with them for two years, pur-
chased a house, but leased the ground. Having a neatly,
though not a costly, furnished little cottage home, he
began to reflect upon his duty to the Saviour and perishing
souls. He soon decided to enter some institution of learn-
ing and take a higher and more extended course of studies
than had before been his privilege. His faithful wife con-
sented to go with him and aid him in the accomplishment
of his noble aspirations so far as she was able. They
"stored" their furniture, broke up housekeeping, rented
their house, and, in 1877, entered Wayland Seminary,
Washington, D. C. He remained there four years,

JOHN WESLEY TERRY. 248

finished the normal course and received his diploma
He took the theological course of studies there, and re
turned to his home, in Chicago, 1881, and was ordained
to the work of the gospel ministry by a council composed
of pastors and delegates from the churches of the city and
vicinity, called by the Olivet Baptist church. Having con-
tracted some debts in the prosecution of his studies, and
his house having been sold to meet a part of this indebted-
ness, and not obtaining a support from his ministerial
work, he sought and very readily obtained employment
again in the shops of the West Division Street Car
company

After one year he was promoted to be foreman of the
ironing and fitting department. He was the only colored
man in this department, or indeed in the shops, and he had
from seven to twelve mechanics under him and subject to
his orders — all of them whites, of various nationalities.

The superintendent and master mechanic of the shops said
to him : "You have attained your position in these shops
by your merit, and not from having any individual influ-
ence or backing, or from any consideration of sympathy
Your color is not considered here, but your skill and ability,
and if any of the men of your department refuse to respect
and obey 3rour orders, send them to the office." He had
no occasion to do this, for the men of the shop respected
him and stood ready to resent any indignity that might
be offered him on account of his color. Some one was
heard once to say something about him and used the word
"nigger" in the shops, and there was raised in all the
shops such a feeling of indignation, and the inquiry from

244 MEN OF MARK.

one to another, "Who said it?" that whoever it was
that used it was considerate enough not to let himself be
known.

He united with the Knights of Labor in 1866, and was
chosen by the men of the shops to represent them on the
committee to settle the great Chicago strike of that year
at the "stock yards," and was elected judge-advocate of
the Charter Oak Assembly of Knights of Labor, March
29, 1886. Being the only colored man in the organization,
he was elected only because of his ability, and was re-
elected at the end of the year. During the stock yard
strike he was one of those who suggested the formation of
the "Chicago Co-operative Packing and Provision Com-
pany," which held its first successful meeting January 2,
1887, and he was elected a director of the same. In Feb-
ruary he was elected treasurer of the organization and
gave up his position in the car shop. This organization
has in running now a main office and a wholesale depart-
ment, and several flourishing markets in different parts of
the city In 1886 he was elected a director of the Central
Park Building and Loan association. December, 1886, he
was sent as a delegate to the Cook County Political As-
sembly of the United Labor party ; at the first assembly
of the same, was chosen one of the executive committee.
Was a delegate to the city convention of the United Labor
party which met February 26, 1887, and was then put in
nomination for alderman for the Thirteenth ward, to be
voted for in the spring election.

I am proud of such men. What a hellish curse was slav-
ery that a mind so strong, so ingenious as his should be

JOHN WESLEY TERRY. 245

stunted and crippled by such treatment as was dealt out
to the infant Terry, penned like a hog, neglected all day
by a mother who labored in the field with an aching heart.
Let the boys and girls of to-day thank God that slavery
has been wiped from the face of our country and condemned
by our statutes.

246 MEN OF MARK.

XXIII.

WILLIAM E. MATTHEWS, LL. B.

Broker— Real Estate Agent — Financier and Lawyer.

MR. WILLIAM E. MATTHEWS, the subject of this
sketch, was born in the city of Baltimore, July,
1845. His father died when he was a boy at the age of
twelve, and he at once assumed the responsibilities which
devolved upon him as filling the place of a father. While in
the city of Baltimore he was a prominent member of the
literary institutions, especially the Gailbraith Lyceum,
which wielded a wonderful influence at times. He was the
agent of this society which had been organized by the
loyalists of Maryland, for the purpose of assisting in the
education and training of the colored people of the South,
and especially of that State. As such, he traveled through
the State, organizing schools and addressing the people on
all questions which were intended to improve their morals,
and encourage them to establish homes and enlighten
them upon the duties of the new citizenship, which they
had just received. In 1867 he became the agent of another
body which was organized by Bishop D. A. Payne and
others for the purpose of founding schools and building
churches in the South among the freedmen. This work he

WILLIAM E. MATTHEWS. 247

continued for three years, being engaged most diligently,
speaking in many of the wealthiest and most refined
churches in the East, such as Dr. Bellows', Dr. Chapin's,
Rev Dr. Adams', Mr Frothingham's and Dr. Vincent's and
others of New York, and Drs. Cuyler, Storrs and the
Plymouth church in Brooklyn. At Air. Beecher's church
on one occasion, after speaking a few minutes he secured
fourteen hundred dollars. His subscription book contained
the names of such men as Henry W Longfellow, James
Russell Lowell, Oliver Wendell Holmes, William Cullen
Bryant, James G. Whittier, which show to a great extent
the appreciation of his efforts. In 1870 he severed his
connection with the societ}' and was appointed to a
clerkship in the post office department by Hon. J. A. Cress-
well. He is the first colored gentleman ever appointed in
that department. In 1873 he graduated from the Law
Department of Howard Universit\* Previous to this he
had devoted much of his spare time after office hours to
business in real estate, mortgages, loans, bonds, etc.,
amassing considerable wealth, and gaining a great exper-
ience which befitted him for larger operations which he
undertook in after years. He is a prominent man in the
community, being one of the most liberal supporters of
the 15th Street Presbyterian church, and has been a long
time chairman of its board of trustees. Mr Matthews is
a gentleman of pleasing address and entertaining manners
— a leading man, whose opinions weigh, and are always
sincerely sought for in the interest of right. His devotion
to the race is shown in his liberality and earnest efforts to
improve their condition, and benefit the poor in any and

2-18 MEN OF MARK.

every way Few things are discussed or attempted for
good that they do not receive his cognizance. It is said
that his first effort as a speaker was made when he was
quite a boy, at a great meeting of the State loyalists held
at the Front Street theatre, Baltimore, 1863, to discuss
the question of abolition in the border States, Hon. John
Minor Botts of Maryland, presiding. On the stage were a
large number of leading Republicans of the South, includ-
ing Hon. Horace Maynard of Tennessee ; Thomas H. Settle
of North Carolina; J. A. Cresswell, Judge Bond and others
of Marjdand. The theatre is said to have been packed by
an audience of three thousand. When Mr. Matthews was
called on to speak, he carried the house with a brief but
enthusiastic speech, which was noted for the boisterous
and enthusiastic manner in which it was received. He has
some distinction as an orator, though of later years he
has done very little speaking. In 1880 he was invited by
a prominent gentleman of Boston to deliver a eulogy on
the life and character of the Rev. John F W Ware, an
eminent Unitarian preacher (white). He was pastor of the
church in Baltimore during the war, and did much by his
sterling work and great ability to strengthen the new
cause and aid the colored people in emancipation and edu-
cation. On this occasion the meeting was presided over
by the Hon. John D. Long, Governor of the State. The
audience was a notable one, including Edward Everett
Hale, James Freeman Clark- and Dr. Rufus Ellis, Dr. Foote
of King's Chapel, and the late Judge George L. Ruffin. An ex-
cerpt from that speech will show his estimate of this gentle-
man and also his style as a writer and speaker Said he:

W- E. MATHEWS.

WILLIAM E. MATTHEWS. 249

You know of his patriotic work for the soldiers in tent, field and hos-
pital ; of his sermons at our beautiful Druid Hill Park, where thousands
of all climes, tongues, colors and conditions would hang on his words as
Tie outlined some grand thought in a way which was charming and capti-
vating to the simple as to the educated, on noble living, high thinking,
■or passionate devotion to one's country ; of his theatre preaching on
winter nights, when he would, week after week, hold his audiences of
two thousand spellbound, from the newsboys and shoeblacks who sat in
the gallery of the gods, to the solid merchant or eminent judge who sat
in orchestra chairs. All this you know, but I am not so certain that you
know that to the colored people of the city and State he was our William
Lloyd Garrison, because he was our emancipator; our Horace Mann,
because he was our educator ; our Dr. Howe, because a philanthropist ;
our Father Taylor, because a simple preacher of righteousnes ; and our
John A . Andrew, because of his inflexible patriotism. All this he was,
and, I might also add the Charles Sumner, for statesman he was also,
braver and greater than many who held seats in the great hall at Wash-
ington.

This speech was put in pamphlet form by a vote of that
meeting. In 1881 the private business of Mr Matthews
grew to such proportions that he severed his connections
with the post office department, in which service he had
been for eleven years, and opened a real estate and bro-
ker's office in Le Droit Building, Washington, District of
Columbia, in which business he has met with great suc-
cess. Few men among us understand so well as Mr.
Matthews the true handling of money and the way to
make it pay, as was shown in his able article in the A. M.
E. Church Review for April, 1885, which the editor, Dr B.
T. Tanner, declares the most finished and exhaustive arti
cle on economic subjects that has ever yet appeared. The
subject treated was, "Money as a Factor in the Human
Progress." The business integrity of Mr. Matthews is

250 MEN OF MARK.

one of which an}' man might be proud. His best indorse-
ment is, that his cheek is good for ten thousand dollars at
any banking house in the city of Washington. Since he
has been in business he has handled one hundred thousand
dollars belonging to colored gentlemen, among whom
might be named Hon. Frederick Douglass, Bishop D. A.
Payne, D. D., LL. D., James T. Bradford, Dr. C. B. Purvis,
Dr. Samuel L. Cook, Dr. William R. Francis, T. J. Minton
and Bishop Brown. Mr. Douglass on his recent departure
for Europe closed his account with Mr. Matthews. It
was then shown that he had handled over forty-nine
thousand dollars of Mr Douglass' money. As an evidence
of his appreciation of his business talent and strict hon-
esty, he writes in these words :

William E. Matthews, Esq.

Mv Dear Sir: It gives me pleasure to inform you and all others, that
in all the pecuniary transactions in which you have handled my money,
you have given entire satisfaction, and I take pleasure in commending
you to all my friends who may have occasion to loan money through
your agency.

Very truly yours,

Frederick Douglass.
Washington, District of Columbia, September 3, 1886.

The office of this gentleman is visited by all persons of
national celebrity who sojourn in Washington, and as he
himself is widely known, we do not hesitate to say that
the future has much in store for the man who began with-
out a penny and to-day can be considered one of our
wealthiest men, and besides this he has never been known
to enter into a questionable business transaction of any

WILLIAM E. MATTHEWS. 251

kind, maintaining his integrity, though many men have
fallen far short of the expectations of their friends.

He is a natural financier, easily understanding all finan-
cial combinations; and were he a white man he would
readily be classed with Sherman of America and Roths-
childs of England. It is indeed gratifying to have the
name of so distinguished a financier and broker, with
such eminent abilities as a business man, to present to our
readers. Success in business has not marked the pathway
of many colored men, for lack of training while young.
Had he depended on this, he too would have fallen by the
wayside. In this respect we claim that his ability is nat-
ural more than acquired. It is refreshing to notice the
high grade of intellect he possesses in this department of
life.

252 MEN OK MARK.

XXIV

REV JAMES ALFRED DUNN PODD.

Superintendent of Schools — Editor — Brilliant Pastor.

REV JAMES ALFRED DUNN PODD was a native of
Nevis, a West India island belonging to Great
Britain, leaward group, latitude 17 degrees, 10 minutes
North, longitude 62 degrees, 40 minutes West. It is a
little one, area 20,000 square miles, separated from the
south end of St. Christopher's by a channel two miles
across. Its population about the time of his birth was
10,200 souls. He was born March 16, 1855. His
parents moved to the island of St. Christopher when he
was yet quite young. His father, a leading minister of the
gospel in the Wesleyan Methodist church, in addition to a
careful home training, endeavored to give him a liberal
education. He was given the advantage of the best
schools in the island where he was born and raised. In
St. Kitts he pursued a preparatory course, graduating
from his academic course quite voung, and gave promise
at a very early period of becoming a brilliant scholar

With the view of preparing himself for the ministry in
the Episcopal church, he went to England to take a more

JAMES ALFRED DUNN PODD. 253

extended course of studies in the venerable -and highly
cultured educational centers of the mother country.
Being admitted into a collegiate school under the patron-
age and management of the Church of England, he re-
ceived a literary and classical education that shone bril-
liantly in his life as a scholar, and adorned so beautifully
the work he did in the pulpit and on the platform. He
was strongh- attached to the institutions and forms of
service in the Episcopal church (from cultivation, no
doubt, while pursuing his studies in the institutions of
learning under the Church of England, and from being in
constant attendance upon its services), and this would
assert itself often in his manner of conducting his pulpit
services, even after he had connected himself with a church
whose simpler rites and plainer forms of service showed
such a marked contrast.

Leaving England he returned to his home in the West
Indies, seeking a field for his future labors. He was ten-
dered and accepted of appointments under the civil govern-
ment of his island home, in connection with the department
of education, being at one time superintendent of schools
for the island. His inclination and taste for literary work
induced him to accept of the editorship of a journal that
was published on the island in the interest of education,
literature and religion. In these various capacities he
showed aptitude and ability, and gave to the interests of
his people, the islanders, the vigilance and care his talents
and education so well fitted him to do.

However useful he may have been in these spheres of
.service, God had a higher calling for him, and so ordered

254 MEN OF MARK.

his providence toward him that he should find that to
"go preach the gospel " was for him the life work.

The death of his mother, and other unfortunate occurr-
ences in his home life, so completely upset all his cherished
plans that he could no longer content himself to remain at
home in the West Indies. Thus unsettled, he turned his eyes
toward the continent of North America, and leaving his
island home and the scenes and associations so familiar and
dear to him, he came to Canada. There he connected him-
self with the British Methodist Episcopal church, and en-
tered its ministry, served in the pastorates of several of its
congregations.

Having undergone a change of view upon the ordinance of
baptism, he united with the Baptist church at St. Cathe-
rines, Ontario, and received from the church a call to its
pastorate. Having served that church for a short time, his
talents soon attracted the attention of other churches, and
the Baptist church of London, Ontario, was the next to
extend him a call. Having been previously recognized as
a minister of the Baptist denomination by a regularly con-
stituted council called for the purpose, he accepted the call
to the pastorate of the London church, and served it two
years. December, 1881, he received a call from the Olivet
Baptist church, Chicago, Illinois, which he accepted on
February 1, 1882. The Bethesda Baptist church having
been organized in the south part of the city, a new field
and a new congregation was opened for him, and in Feb-
ruary, 1SS3, he took charge of the congregation that had
been organized for him. Under his leadership its member-
ship commenced immediately to increase, and his preaching

JAMES ALFRED DUNN PODD. 255

attracted large congregations to its services. His pulpit
ministrations were of marked ability The increased inter-
est in his ministry, and the growth of his congregations
occasioned several changes of location and removal to
more spacious quarters for accommodations to meet their
demands, for his preaching, polished in literary finish as it
was, was yet clear and forcible in its presentations of the
truths of the Bible, and continued to increase in popular
favor.

The financial strain occasioned by the expensiveness of
the temporary occupancies, determined the pastor and his
little flock to begin the purchase of property and the erec-
tion or purchase of a house for a permanent church home.
This enterprise drew out and put into exercise his fine pas-
toral qualities as an organizer, and resulted, after an
heroic struggle, in the settlement of the church in its neat
and well furnished quarters, in the pretty little chapel at
the corner of 34th and Butterfield streets.

The strain on both pastor and flock was very severe,
and hastened his death. The last time I saw him was at
the Baptist National convention, where he read a paj>er on
the subject of African mission. It was evident that his
heart was filled full of the work, and indeed his remarks
impressed the convention, because of his earnestness and
zeal in this department of Christian labor. At the close of
his remarks he made a very strong appeal to the conven-
tion to contribute to the cause through Rev. T L. John-
son, the missionary. Mr. Podd would impress one as in-
tellectual from his personal appearance. His classic
countenance was interesting, and his health being at the

256 MEN OF MARK.

time very feeble, he gave one the impression of a man able
to meet the demands of any occasion when in full health. It
could be seen then that he was near the end of life, and his
words for this reason had the more weight and secured
careful attention.

He was not narrow in the exercise of his gifts and tal-
ents, but with a large heart and generous nature, he laid
his hand to every good work for the uplifting of his race
and the cause of humanity

Death cut short his earthly labors at Jacksonville, Flor-
ida, on Thursday, December 23, 1886, in the thirty-second
year of his life.

HENRY W1LK.1NS CHANDLER. 257

XXV.

HON. HENRY WILKINS CHANDLER, A. B., A. M.

Member of the State Senate of Florida — Capitalist — Lawj'er— City Clerk
and Alderman.

OCALA, Florida, is proud of the Hon. H.W Chandler,
whom she honors so often in sending him to the
State Senate.

Reared in a State in which there was little or no
discrimination, he enjoyed excellent school advantages.
His father has been for many years a deacon in a white
Baptist church and superintendent of the Sunday school ;
it can be seen, therefore, that he has had little of the em-
barrassments of life which go to make difficulties for young
colored men.

He was born in Bath, Sagadahock county, Maine, Sep-
tember 22, 1852. He pursued the usual course of studies
in the common schools of his native city, graduating from
the College Preparatory Department of the High school in
June, 1870, and the following September entered Bates'
College, Lewiston, Maine, where he graduated, in 1874,
with the title of A. B. September, 1874, he entered the
Law Department of Howard University, Washington,
D. C, and at the same time became instructor in the

258 MENOFM\PK

Normal Department of the same institution. He pursued
his law studies at the university and privately till June,
IS 76. He went to Ocala, Marion county, Florida, in
October of the same year and engaged in teaching. In
1878 he was on, examination, admitted to the practice of
law In 1880, was nominated and elected State Senator
for the Nineteenth Senatorial district, comprising tlje
countv of Marion. At the expiration of his term, in 1884,
he was renominated and elected for a term of four years.

Mr Chandler was a delegate to the Republican National
convention in 1884, and has been prominently connected
with the Republican State and Congressional committees.
Since he entered politics, in 1878, he has held various posi-
tions of honor and trust — clerk and alderman of his
adopted city, Ocala ; delegate to the recent State Constitu-
tional convention, in 1885.

October 2, 1884, he was married to Miss Annie M.
Onlev, ateacherinthe Staunton Grammar school, Jackson-
ville, Florida, and the daughter of Mr. John Onley, a
prominent contractor and builder in that city.

Mr. Chandler still resides in Ocala, Florida, where he
wields a very large and powerful influence, politically and
socialb- He is deacon of the Mount Moriah Baptist
church of that city, and was baptized by Rev Samuel
Smalls, now deceased.

He had the good fortune of •meeting true and staunch
friends in the persons of Watson Murphy, F C. W
Williams, Reuben S. Mitchell and others, who have always
been devoted to his interests. The writer was a resident
of Florida, and was largely instrumental in Mr. Chand-

HENRY WILKINS CHANDLER. 259

ler's settlement in that State. Having gone there first, he
invited Mr. Chandler, with another friend, to make their
homes in that State, and here, in this volume, I wish to
testify to the generosity, the whole-souled respect, which
these gentlemen have shown, not only to Mr. Chandler
but to himself, as they are men made in uncommon
moulds. No better men live ; they are as true to a friend as
the needle to the pole, and can only be spoken of with
tenderness and love.

Mr. Chandler had only two dollars and one-half in his
pocket when he settled in Florida, but by hard work,
honest methods and kind treatment to all with whom he
came in contact, he has been enabled to secure a vast
amount of property, and to-day his real estate is worth
probably twenty thousand dollars.

Senator Chandler is a man of fine scholastic taste, dis-
criminating in his choice of books and of the subjects which
he treats. He is already a successful lawyer. As a poli-
tician he is shrewd, calculating and far-seeing. His
speeches are specimens of eloquence, rhetoric and polish ;
in every case a subject is exhausted by him before dropped.
He generally anticipates his opponent's argument, and so
presents them that he would be ashamed to use them
afterwards. His style is both analytical and synthetical.
His life is an inspiration for those who come after him.

260 MEN OF MARK.

XXVI.

REV THEODORE DOUGHTY MILLER, D. D.

Tbe Eloquent Pastor of Cherry Street Baptist Church, Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania — A Veteran Divine, Distinguished for Long Service.

THE subject of this sketch was born of Henry and
Sarah Miller, in the city of New York, September 19,
1835. He was a very bright and active boy, whose win-
ning ways won him many friends, who have maintained
their pleasant relations for many long years. When he
began studying he was a pupil of the well known teacher,
John Patterson, of colored school No. 1, where he remained
for ten years and secured an excellent common school edu-
cation. In July, 1849, he was examined, passed and re-
ceived a certificate as a teacher, and at once entered upon
his profession, becoming first assistant in the Public High
school. He was brought up in the Episcopal church (St.
Phillips), was confirmed and became a member of the choir
for many years. Though privileged, he was conscientiously
opposed to accepting communion, and left that organiza-
tion to form a part of the newly organized church of the
Messiah, also Episcopal, under the rectorship of Alexander
Crummel, D. D., who is now rector in the City of Washing-
ton, District of Columbia. His father died when he was

THEODORE DOUGHTY MILLER. 261

an infant, and his mother was very suddenly called away
when he was about sixteen years of age, leaving him alone
in the world to fight the battle of life. He had an older
brother, but he had gone many years before to California
when the popular rage for gold was at its height, and
never returned, being lost in the wreck of the steamer
Golden Gate.

From 1849 to 1851 he spent his evenings and Saturdays
as a pupil of the St. Augustine Institute in the study of
the classics, determined to thoroughly equip himself to
make a mark in life. During a revival of religion at the
Baptist church he was converted and brought to the
knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. Though uniting with
no church, not being able then to reconcile the Baptist
views of baptism and church fellowship with his own, he
determined to study all the creeds and compare them with
the Bible so as to stand on a Bible platform and defend
himself in his religious views against all encroachments
and entreaties from the many who were seeking his ser-
vices, both in the church and Sunday-school. In the year
1851 he left New York City to assume charge of the public
school in Trenton, New Jersey, which he held for years,
during which time he united in marriage with Miss Eliza-
beth P Wood of that city He made himself useful in the
formation of a young men's association, and in the choir
and Sunday-school of the Mt. Zion A. M. E. church, his
religion being of that liberal nature which constrained
him, regardless of their names, to aid in any way the on-
ward march to Christ. In the year 1856 he left Trenton,
New Jersey, and took charge of the public school at New-

262 MEN OF MARK.

burgh, New York, during which time, as a result of much
study and prayer, he decided to accept the views of the
Baptists, believing them to be in accordance with the
Bible ; and his wife, also having just been brought to a sav-
ing knowledge of Christ, accepted the same views, and they
were both baptized February 22, 1857, in the Hudson
river He at once felt impressed to do something to advance
the interests of his Master's kingdom. Having felt keenly
the loss of several years service in a decision as to Bible
views, he joined the Shiloh Baptist church, but they having a
white pastor, and he being naturally jealous of his abilities,
which were noticed and which led to frequent invitations
to participate publicly in their services, every obstacle to
advancement was put in his way. But despite the pastor's
opposition he was chosen as a teacher, then superintend^
ent of the Sabbath-school, then a trustee of the church, then
a deacon of the church. But here the pastor determined
must be the limit ; he was rising too fast. But Mr. Miller
was determined not to be outdone. He opened his own
house Sabbath afternoons and preached each Sunday night,
or rather exhorted, for they had refused to license him. He
was sent by the church as its messenger to the American
Baptist Missionary convention, held at Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, with the request that they hear him preach,
and if they approved, license him. They gave him a hear-
ing, which was highly satisfactory. It being out of their
province to license him, they sent back a unanimous recom-
mendation to that church to at once grant him the license,
and stated to the candidate that if they refused to so do,
that he should sever his connection and unite with the

THEODORE DOUGHTY MILLER. 263

First Baptist church (white), who, knowing his abilities
and prospects of usefulness, had promised to give him a
license. Fearing to rebel, they granted the license. He con-
tinued speaking and teaching in all the churches until 1858,
when he received a call from the Zion Baptist church of
New Haven, Connecticut, which he accepted. He was or-
dained to the gospel ministry January 19, 1859, at the
Concord Street church, Brooklyn, New York, by the unan-
imous decision of a large council, composed of many white
men, who sought, though vainly, to retard the progress
of the rising young colored man. His fame spreading,
reached Albany, where the field being barren and long a
desert, they desired an active young man; so they extended
him a call, which after deliberation and prayer he accepted.
Bringing the church up by gracious revivals, he remained
over five years, a longer period than any preceding pastor
for twenty years, and leaving only against a strong and
united protest and tears. During this time he fortified
himself with a full course of theological studies, under the
tutelage of that noted scholar and preacher, Dr. E. L. Ma-
goon, whose pulpit, with those of several others (all white),
he often occupied, often exchanging pulpits.

In 1864 he was invited to visit Oak Street Baptist
church, West Philadelphia, with a view to their pastor-
ate. While there the Pearl Street church, the old mother
church organized in 1809, which has had but four regular
pastors, situated on Cherry street, also invited him to
spend a Sabbath with them with the same view, after
which calls were extended to him from both churches,
and he accepted that of the latter, beginning services with

2t>4 MKN OF MARK.

them August 1, 1804, in whose service he still remains,
the oldest pastor in continued service in the city, but one.
During his pastorate, the membership has been quad-
rupled, he having baptized over six hundred in the succes-
sive revivals, the largest of which, in the history of the
church, occurred in the spring of 1886, in his twenty-second
year of service, among whom were two of his own child-
ren, a son and daughter having previously been baptized,
making four of his children in the church, a blessing
accorded to but few pastors. His oldest son is a very
eminent musician and is the organist of the church, and
also clerk in Wanamaker's great clothing establishment,
his oldest daughter being accomplished in the manufac-
ture of fancy hair work and a dressmaker, while the other
two are fitting themselves for positions of usefulness.
During' his long pastorate many calls have been extended
to him, some with larger "salaries, among them the Nine-
teenth Street Baptist church and a position in the How-
ard Theological Seminary, all of which he declined. His
progress has been really wonderful and crowned with suc-
cess. Crowded audiences greet him every Sabbath morn-
ing to catch inspiration from his thoroughly prepared
discourses. The other many offices he has filled prove the
just appreciation of his gifts. He was for many years
corresponding secretary of the American Baptist Mission-
ary convention and is now recording secretary of the
New England Baptist Missionary convention. On every
occasion of note his services and voice have always been
demanded. He has occupied more white pulpits than any
other colored pastor in the city, and the first and only

THEODOKE DOUGHTY MILLER. 265

colored man that by their own appointment • was priv-
ileged to occupy the high position of preaching the intro-
ductory sermon for the Philadelphia Baptist Association
— the oldest in the country, three years ago. By the
united request of the Sunday school and church, he
assumed, though reluctantly, owing to his own pastoral
duties, the charge of the Sunday school. The wisdom of
the choice was manifested in the large revival breaking
out in the school, from which over ninety were baptized
and united with the church. He has also organized a
church at Princeton, New Jersey, and has a branch of his
own church at Germantown, and rendered them valuable
assistance.

During his pastoral duties he has licensed and sent forth
to the work of Christian ministry, Milford D. Herndon,
missionary to Africa, Benjamin T Moore, Ananias Brown,
James Banks, Henry H. Mitchell, Benjamin Jackson and
others. Our subject is admired by his flock, and faithfully
upholds the doctrine of the Lord Jesus Christ. Who can
count the good of this man's life; twenty-two years of
true teachings has not failed to bless both teacher and
pupils. The writer remembers a sermon which he heard
him preach in 1870. The text was "God is Faithful,"
and to this day it is just as distinct in his mind as it was
the day he heard it. He is a man of oratorical powers, a
clear reasoner, forcible writer and elegant talker ; a man
highly respected for scholarly attainments, strictest integ-
rity, honor and common sense.

Recognizing the good qualities in him, a university con-
ferred on him the title of D. D. A sketch of his life appears

266 MEN OF MARK.

in the ' Baptist Encyclopedia ' by Cathcart, which pays hint
the following compliment :

Mr. Miller was appointed to preach the introductory sermon before
the Philadelphia Baptist Association in 1879, the first colored man that
ever occupied that position, and he was not placed in it by political
power, but as a simple recognition of his Christian work. His sermon
showed the propriety of the choice.

Mr. Miller is a man of scholarly taste. He is one of the
best colored preachers located in Philadelphia, and his
piety is of a high order. May he ever live to proclaim the
riches of "His mercy" and the truth of that Saviour of
souls and bring to his kingdom those who have wandered
away.

J. D. BALTIMORE. 267

XXVII.

J. D. BALTIMORE, ESQ.

Chief Engineer and Mechanician at the Freedmen's Hospital — Engineer —
Machinist — Inventor.

JEREMIAH DANIEL BALTIMORE first saw light in
Washington, District of Columbia, April 15, 1852.
His parents, Thomas and Hannah Baltimore, were free,
the former a Catholic and the latter a Methodist. The
boy, following the goodly walks of his mother, adopted
the same faith, joining the Wesley Zion church and filling
every position in the Sabbath school, from pupil to super-
intendent ; also secretary of the board of trustees of the
church, having united with it in 1866. He was a scholar
in Enoch Ambush's school for quite a while, but when he
left could neither spell nor write his own name. He then
attended the district public school. Prior to this he spent
most of his time planting old tin cans and coffee pots in the
ground for steam boilers. He would make so much steam
and smoke that his mother would often be compelled to
shut herself up in the house. After he had worked with
the tins for a year or longer, he weighted the tea-kettle lid
down with a flatiron, and succeeded in generating sufficient
steam to raise the lid and produce a noise by its escape

268 MEN OF MARK.

that caused everybody in the house to predict that he
would soon blow his head off, if he didn't stop such danger-
ous pranks.

One day he told his mother that he would get to be an
engineer, but she said, "No, m}' son, it takes a smart man
to fill that position. I am sure there is no way for us to
get you through school." He said he could go through,
though his skin was dark.

His further experiments consisted of a piece of stove pipe
and old brass bucket hoops, etc. With these he made a
steam boiler, to which he attached an engine that he had
constructed, but it would not work. It was highly spoken
of by all who saw it. The Rev William P Ryder placed it
upon exhibition in the Wesley Zion Sabbath school. It
was then placed on exhibition in the United States
Treasury department, and was examined by the officers
and employees, who pronounced it the work of a genius.
This so encouraged him, he tried to make a better one ; he
took a piece of soft brick, cut the shape of the wheel and
of other details deep enough to hold the molten metal.
Then taking an old flower pot and lining it thickly with
cla}-, he thus succeeded in melting his brass with an ordi-
nary fire in the kitchen stove. With the aid of a file, a
pair of old shears and an old knife used for a saw, he
finished his engine, which was a horizontal high pressure
one with a tubular boiler. The engine was first placed on
exhibition in the public school, in the room of which he
was then a pupil. It was carried to the patent office, and
by the aid of Anthony Bowen, a very distinguished colored
member of the City Council of Washington, the attention

J. D. BALTIMORE. 269

of the public and the press was called to it. One morning
soon after, an article appeared in the Sunday Chronicle,
headed like this: "Extraordinary Mechanical Genius of a
Colored Boy." This boy desired to do something to
further his own cause, and one day seeing the people going
into the President's house, he was bold enough to send the
paper with the sketch in it to the President. When the
usher returned he announced that, as it was "Cabinet
day," the President could not be seen. Not having any
idea that the President would become interested in the
matter, the boy had started out with the crowd. Soon,
however, the usher called him and said: "The President
wants to see you, young man." He went in and found
General Grant with his feet on the desk and a cigar in his
mouth. He turned to him and inquired if he was the
young man of whom he had just been reading. To this
the boy, being put at his ease by the kindly manner of the
general, replied, "I am, sir." The general said: "You
must have a trade," and handed him a card with these
words on it :

Will the Secretary of the Navy please see the bearer, J. D. Baltimore.
I think it would be well to give him employment in one of the United
States Navy yards, where he can be employed on machinery. Please see
statements of what he has done without instruction.

U. S. Grant.

This card he presented to the Secretary of the Navy and
was immediately appointed as an apprentice in the depart-
ment of steam engineering at the Washington Navy yard,
where the prejudice was very strong, and after standing it
a few months, he complained of his treatment, and Pro-

270 MEN OF MARK.

fessor John M . Langston interviewed the Secretary of the
Navv who said to him: "Young Baltimore shall go to
another navy yard if you desire it." He was transferred
to the Navy yard at Philadelphia, where he studied very
hard. He was ostracized by the men, who told him that
the President might send him there, but couldn't make
them show him anything ; and there were very few of the
men who would have any friendly dealings with him. But
he would arise at 4 o'clock in the morning and study until
it was time to go to work. He would study all the dinner
hour and late at night. He was admitted to the Franklin
Institute at Philadelphia, being the second colored man
enjoying that privilege. The chief assistant engineer
noticed his close application to the duties of the shop and
scientific studies, and on one occasion, when lecturing to the
apprentice boys, Chief Engineer Thompson of the depart-
ment of steam engineering, asked this question. ' ' How
many of you can tell the strength of a steam boiler by
mathematical computation ? Can you, Baltimore ? " He
answered "Yes, sir," and from that moment the hatred of
the men and boys increased. They would nail his coat to
the wall, steal his tools and destroy his books, and do
everything that would make it unpleasant for him, but he
still held out. He graduated from this department ob-
taining his certificate, which contained these words :

United States Navy Yard.
To all whom it may concern :

This certifies that Jeremiah D. Baltimore of Washington, District of

Columbia, has served as an apprentice to the United States in the

Machinists' Department at the Navy yard at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,

for the term of three years and six months, and until he had arrived at

J. D. BALTIMORE. 271

the age of twenty-one years. During that time his general character has

been very good. His proficiency in both trades very good. His term of

■apprenticeship is hereby honorably closed.

James W Thompson, Jr.

Chief Engineer.

Given at the Navy yard at Philapelphia, this fourth day of December,

1873.

G. F. E. Emmons, Commandant.

J. W. King, Chief of the Bureau of Steam Engineering.
September 6, 1873.

He was then detailed to go to the Naval station at
League Island on the Delaware river, to assist in repair-
ing four of the United States monitors. When it became
necessary to reduce the force, he was placed in the front
ranks. He then took a position in charge of a large mill,
receiving twenty-seven dollars per week, but after awhile
the work was stopped, and the firm paid him ten dollars
per week, which he accepted for a few weeks and then con-
cluded to seek employment in one of the machine tool
manufacturing establishments in Philadelphia. He tried
Cramp & Sons, who did a great deal of work for the gov-
ernment. They said, "Mr. Baltimore, we have heard of
you and would like to employ you, but if we do, all of our
men will leave us, as they refuse to work with colored
mechanics." It can be seen that prejudice existed in the
North as well as in the South, for a colored man can find
work in the South. He then went to Sellers & Brother
six times, and five times he was put off with all sorts of
excuses. The sixth time he was refused at first, but in-
sisted that he wanted work, not because he was a colored
man, but because he could do the work. After some delib-
eration they concluded to give him employment. He held

272 MEN OF MARK.

this position until he resigned on account of ill health.
Returning to Washington, May 29, 1872, he was married
to Miss Ella V Waters, to whom he owes much of his suc-
cess. In a private letter to a friend he-said once: "She is
to me what the governor is to a steam engine, or the
helm to the ship." After he was married he opened a
general repair shop, which he carried on for twelve years.
He has been employed as engineer of the United States
Coast Survey at Washington, District of Columbia, and
at this writing holds the position of chief engineer and
mechanician at the Freedmen's Hospital, Department of
the Interior, Washington, having been appointed August
2, 1880.

Mr. Baltimore has realized from his labors about five thou-
sand dollars. He is the inventor of a pyrometer, which was
on exhibition in the colored department of the New Orleans
Exposition. He is a member of the Mechanics' Union in
Washington, and at a recent meeting, the two bodies
came together, one which has only white members, and
the other which has both. Mr. Baltimore at this meeting
made a speech and criticised very severely the white class,
which forced the president to say that one year from now
the constitution of his Union would not have that clause
in it. Mr. Baltimore is interested in every subject that
touches his race, and has lectured very frequently for the
benefit of churches, upon the subject of heat, steam, and
other scientific subjects. His triumphal success over many
severe difficulties marks him as a man of genius, firmness
and talent.

J. R. CLIFFORD. 2'. 3

XXVIII.

J. R. CLIFFORD, ESQ.

Editor — Lawyer — Teacher — Orator.

THERE are but fev* names in West Virginia well
known to the public; but among these stand
prominent Editor Clifford. He is progressive, independ-
ent and ambitious. He is a native of the State, having
been born at Williamsport, Grant county, West Virginia,
September 13, 1849. When quite a lad he was taken to
Chicago, by the Hon. J J. Healy, and given a rudi-
mentary education. In early life he followed the
barber's trade, and not being satisfied with a little
learning he received in Chicago, he went to Zeno, Musk-
ingum county, where his uncle dwelt, who sent him to
a school taught by one Miss Effie McKnight. In this
place he attended a writing school taught by Profes-
sor D. A. White, from which he took a diploma in that
art. In 1870 he went to Wheeling, West Virginia, and
conducted a large writing school with nearly one hundred
attendants; in the years 1871, '72 and '73 he taught a
similar school at Martin's Ferry, Ohio. Not yet satisfied
with his attainments, he attended Storer College, at

C74 MEN OF MARK.

Harper's Ferry, graduating in 1878. He was called to the
principalship of the public school at Martinsburg, West
Virginia, which he held for ten consecutive years, and only
resigned to give attention to the Pioneer Press, a vigor-
ous, influential journal which he so ably, fearlessly and
consistently edits. The Republican party has had a strong
friend in him. Being delegate to the State convention in
1884, he was elected a delegate to Chicago by a majority
of fifteen, and the white delegates went around to the
several delegations and persuaded them to withdraw their

*

votes from him after the vote had been cast and counted,
thus defeating him. This outrage was not forgotten, and
the metal of the man is shown, who, when he had an
opportunity, paid these men back in their own coin. Mr.
N. H. W Flick, a white Republican, was leader in the
defeat of Mr. Clifford, and in the last congressional election
he was nominated by the Republican party, but was bitterly
opposed by the Pioneer Press, which defeated him. They
have indeed cause to fear such a man, who not only has
power and influence to back him, but who will stand up
for his rights and accept nothing which reflects upon his
race. As a delegate to all the conventions of 'the State, he
has many opportunities to give as well as to take defeats.
I first made the acquaintance of this gentleman in the
Knights of Wise Men Convention, held at Atlanta,
Georgia, where he delivered the oration of the day. In
that body were Hon. F L.Cardoza, Bishop H. M. Turner,
D. D., LL.D., Hon. Richard Gleaves, J W Cromwell, the
eloquent R. P Brooks, now dead, and some of the most
gifted men of the country. Mr. Clifford was but little

J. R. CLIFFORD. 275

known to many of us. On the cars going from 'Nashville,
Mr. Brooks said to Mr. Cromwell, "Who is that over
there ?" pointing to Mr. Clifford. Mr. Cromwell answered
it was the orator. Brooks laughed in his hearty way and
replied it would be a hard oration, and he wanted to be
absent when it took place. Brooks himself was totally
unassuming, however, and was also one of the most
polished orators of the Old Dominion, yet when the speech
was heard, the house was electrified, and Brooks led the
movement in securing a contribution to present Mr.
Clifford with a gold-headed cane, which was presented in
the State house by Lawyer William H. Young of Nash-
ville, Tennessee, in a very elaborate and complimentary
speech. Mr. Clifford has delivered many orations since.
As honorary commissioner of the colored department of
the New Orleans Exposition he served his State faithfully
and did all in his power to aid the general work. When
only sixteen years of age he enlisted in the United States
heavy artillery (Kentucky), Company F, and served as a
corporal, but finally appointed nurse in a hospital, serving
there until the war ended, when he was mustered out at
Louisville, Kentucky. He studied law under J Nelson
Wirner, in the city of Martinsburg, and has had some
success as a lawyer. Fortunate in his marriage, he is now
on the road to success, and has accumulated a little
capital as a basis for competency One John T. Riley of
Martinsburg, West Virginia, editor of the Herald, and
who is described by the Independent as "a young man
with a downcast look and a pusillanimous nature," and
having "a mean, uneasy countenance," saw fit mo make an v

276 MEN OF MARK.

attack on Mr. Clifford. Some comic writer has said: "It
pays to have a few redhot enemies, as it always develops
a few redhot friends." It proved true in this case, as the
following, taken from the columns of the Independent,
July, 25, 1885, conclusively proves:

Riley is envious of the good reputation and high standing of Professor
J. R. Clifford, the brainy and intelligent principal of the colored schools;
and for several years, through running a Republican organ, has en-
deavored to asperse his character and discharge him from his position.
In every effort he has been defeated, although we are reliably informed,
in the last proceeding, his associate, Tolliver Evans, threatened never to
vote again for the members of the Board of Education, which is amusing.
The truth is, Clifford's standing in the communit\r is in advance of either
Riley or Evans. Intellectually, and in the point of education, they will
never reach his standard. Therefore, they envy this colored man and try
to down him. It cannot be accomplished. His moral standing and his
friendship with the leading men, best thinkers and most respected citizens
cannot be assailed. We doubt if any man living in our midst can present
a better certificate of character than the following, which, when handed
the Board of Education, put to flight his accusers, viz.:

To the Board of Education of Martinsburg :
Gentlemen : — The undersigned bear willing and cheerful testimony to

the good character, correct habits and unquestioned moral standing and

quiet, law-abiding qualities of Mr. J. R. Clifford, as a man and citizen.

On none of these essentials can he be successfully impeached.
Charles P. Matthaei, Joseph E. Berry,

C. R. O'Neal, Z. T. Grove,

William Gerhardt, Wm. McKee,

J. Nelson Wisner, Henry Wilen,

John N. Abell, Robt. Douglass Roller,

F. M. Woods, A. R. McQuilkin,

J. A. Hoffheins, J. S. Boak,

R. H. Pitt, E. C. Williams, Jr.

A. 15. Hank, R. A. Blondell,

R. C. Holland, William Wilen,

J. R. CLIFFORD

277

S. N. Myers,

J. W. McSherry,

J. H. Bristor,

C. W. Doll,

Jno. A. Boyer,

S. H. Martin,

Blackburn Hughes,

Geo. S. Hill,

W. L. Jones,

Lee M. Bender,

H. A. Frazer,

C. W. Wisner,

C. 0. Lambert,

George Knapp,

Kinsey Crequev
Cyrus H. Wayble,
N. D. Baker,
S. L. Dodd,
George W. Feidt,
G. A. Crisman,
J. T. Picking,
Wm. S. Henshaw,
John C. Hutsler,
I. L. Bender,
J. W. Bishop,
W. H. Keedy,
J. W. Pitzer,
W. A. Pitzer,
Wm. H. Criswell.

J. H. Gettinger,

The above list has the names of the ministers of the Protestart
churches, the magistrates of the town, the mayor, sergeant, constable,
president of the county court, president and cashier of the National
bank, phySfcians, lawyers, superintendent of the town schools, ex-county
superintendent, teachers, teller of People's National bank, ex-sheriff,
clerks of the county courts, and leading merchants. Such a certificate
cannot be beaten in this town. The man who merits the esteem of such
citizens is beyond the reach of the venomous pen of John T. RileY or his
abettors.

278 MEN OF MARK.

XXIX.

WILEY JONES, ESQ.

The Owner of a Street<ar Railroad, a Race Track and a Park — A Cap-
italist Worth About $125,000.

THE amount of enterprise shown in the life of the gentle-
man of whom I now write, is worthy of commenda-
tion. That an uneducated slave-boy should amass such
wealth, is a surprise to many. His business tact and steady
perseverance is marvelous. There are those who believe in
luck, but sometimes no such thing can be seen in our lives ;
strive we ever so hard, live we ever so honest, labor weever
so faithfully, we do not seem to have that good fortune
which many term "good luck." Of course there is no
such thing as luck; all success is the result of qualities
within, labor expended or fortuitous circumstances,
brought about, perhaps, by what might seem to be an
accident, or because of circumstances over which we have
little or no control . Mr. Jones can content himself with the
thought that an over-ruling power has thrown this money
into his hands that he may do some great and lasting good
with it. Surely his name could live long after he is dead if
he would contribute to the special aid of his race in some
direct manner

WILEY JONES. 279

His young life began in that State which had such severe
regulations for Negroes in slavery days, that it was consid-
ered the place where they should be sent when they were
refractory He was born in Madison county, Georgia,
July 14, 1848. His parents, George and Ann Jones, are
both dead. At five years of age he was taken to Arkansas.
and waited on his master, Fitz Yell, and performed the
duties of a houseboy, and drove the family carriage. This
he did for two years or more. Then he followed his master
into the Federal army during the war. After that he went
to Waco, Texas, and drove a wagon from the Brazos river
to San Antonio, hauling cotton to the frontiers. After a
while he returned to Arkansas and worked on a farm at
twenty dollars a month. By this time it was 1868, when
he began working at the barber's chair, and continued
thereat until 1881, when he went into the tobacco, cigar
and other businesses, which realized him this very large
fortune of which he is now possessed. His brother, who is
faithful to his interests, managed the business for the first
two years, while he was working at his trade. Mr. Jones
had no school training, and consequently his education
was very limited. He had to rely entirely on what he
could pick up through life, as he came in contact with men
and things.

This school of adversity is often the best teacher for
some men, for really good men are often spoiled by trying
to give them what is vulgarly called education, and
the truth of the matter is they would be much better
and more properly educated if they felt the conflicts which
come to those who battle with the world against the

2S0 MEN OF MARK.

many adversities common to life. He extended his opera-
tions bv securing the charter for the street car line in the
city of Pine Bluff, where he now lives. This was secured
August, 1886, and he had one and one-quarter miles com-
pleted and ran the first car on October 19, 1886, the first
day of the annual fair of the Colored Industrial and Fair
Association, of which he is also treasurer He is also the
sole owner of the grounds the fair was held on, and of the
race track and park which covers fifty-five acres, located
one mile from Main street. The street car stables, which
cover forty by one hundred feet, are also located on the
grounds.

He carries a stock of goods in his business of fifteen thou-
sand dollars, and estimates his wealth at a figure not be-
low one hundred and twenty- five thousand dollars, which
consists of his business, real estate and cash. He is also
a great fancier of fine blooded stock, and owns a herd of
Durham and Holstein cattle, and is also breeding trotting
stock, the best of which is the noted stallion "Executor,"
that has made a record of 2.2444. On his farm he has
about twelve choicely bred mares, and hires a professional
driver to handle them, which insures him first-class hand-
ling and develops their speed to perfection.

Mr. Jones can be accounted as one of our most success-
ful business men, and the only hope is that he will use his
wealth wisely, and to the honor and glory of God. He
has not yet seen fit to marry, and therefore has no one to
whom he ma}r look as the heir of the large property which
he has accumulated.

WILEY JONES.

JOHN H. BURRUS. 281

XXX.

PROFESSOR JOHN H. BURRUS, A. B.,A. M.

President of the Alcorn University — Professor of Mental and Moral Phi-
losophy and Constitutional Law — Teacher of Political Economy,
Literature and Chemistry — Attorney at Law.

AFTER many struggles as a waiter in hotels and at
other hard work, Professor Burrus has attained
prominence among men, and has been called to the head
of a very flourishing institution. This gives him the en-
dorsement of the State officers of Mississippi. Regardless
of political bias, he has maintained his position from year
to year under the scrutinizing eye of a Democratic Legisla-
ture. These things show that worth is being recognized
wherever found. The surrender of 1865 found James B.,
John H., and Preston R. Burrus with their mother in Mar-
shall, Texas, with the remnant of Bragg's Mississippi
Confederate army. They were brought to Shreveport,
Louisiana, thence to New Orleans, and afterwards to
Memphis, Tennessee. Here John H., then a boy, found
work as a cook on a stern-wheel boat. When opportunity
presented itself for better things, he took advantage of it.
About 1866 he removed to Nashville, where he worked
hard as a hotel waiter, studying much of the time at night

282 MEN OF MARK.

with the Misses Shad well and Jameson, boarders at the
hotel where he worked. Very zealous was he for an edu-
cation, and every energy was devoted to this one purpose.
The frugality and care of the mother was manifest in the son,
for never did he indulge in the many extravagances of youth
•n dress or pleasure seeking, but every cent was carefully
laid aside until the summer of 1867, when three hundred
dollars had been saved, which was spent for school advan-
tages at Fisk University. While in school no time was
wasted ; extra hours were spent in work and study, while
the vacations were used for school teaching, until his eyes
failed him from overwork, then he could study only by
hearing others read his lessons to him. Thus he continued
in school until 1873, when, being unable to teach, he bought
a religious panorama, with which he traveled through
parts of 1873 and 1874.

During the first year in Fisk University he was converted
and united with the Congregational church of the univer-
sity, of which church he is still a member. The president
often related how he economized and struggled to keep in
school. He is an illustration of "where there's a will
there's a way." J. H. Burrus was engaged as teacher in a
graded school in the suburbs of Nashville for the school
year following his graduation, but was made principal be-
fore his year was out.

Before his school closed in 1876, he was selected by the
Republican State committee as one of the delegates from
the Sixth Tennessee Congressional district to the National
convention. There he voted five consecutive times for Sen-
ator 0. P Morton for President, but when that distin-

JOHN H. BURRUS. 283

guished son of Indiana was withdrawn, he voted for
Rutherford B. Hayes, who was nominated on the seventh
ballot.

After the convention he visited Harper's Ferry, Wash-
ington, District of Columbia ; Niagara, Philadelphia, New
York, Oberlin, and many other places. Not long after,
returning to Nashville, he accepted the principalship of the
Yazoo city school, of Yazoo, Mississippi. He was re-
elected to the principalship of this school soon after closing
in June, 1877, and he was also offered the position of in-
structor of mathematics in his alma mater in place of his
brother, who had resigned. After due consideration he
finally accepted this position and taught two years in Fisk
Universit\r, till 1879, when he received the degree of A. M.
During this year he resigned this position in favor of his
younger brother, who had just graduated from this place.

Professor Burrus, who had been reading law to some ex-
tent, now gave himself to that study under legal advisers,
and was admitted to the bar early in 1881. For the first
year he did not make bread out of his law practice, but
besides making use of his leisure to get more legal knowl-
edge, he corresponded for several newspapers, getting some
work looking up titles to property, and being enabled
on several occasions to point out serious involvements of
property where even the owner thought none existed. He
made some reputation for that kind of work which prom-
ised to bring him handsome returns. At this time he was
offered the presidency of Alcorn Agricultural and Mechan-
ical College, in Rodney, Mississippi, in August, 1883. This

284 MEN OF MARK.

will be remembered as the college where Hon. Hiram R.
Revels presided for several years.

He was elected permanent secretary of the Tennessee
Republican State convention in 1878; was secretary and
treasurer of the State executive committee, for two years;
he was also chosen alternate from the State-at-large to
the National Republican convention which met in Janu-
ary, 1 880, and was independent candidate for register in
Davidson county, Tennessee, August, 1882, and a candi-
date on the Republican ticket for the Lower House of the
Legislature in the following November. The people in his
district in the edge of Nashville, Tennessee, elected him one
of their school directors in 1878. When his term of three
years expired in 1881, he was re-elected, beating both of his
competitors, a colored and a white man, although a ma-
jority of the citizens were white. Brains and character
will win, no matter what the color of his face may be.
There are many sitting down complaining about their
color keeping them down in life and preventing them from
succeeding. Ninety-nine times out of a hundred it is the
man's lack of brains and character. There were then
seventeen teachers in the district, of whom nine were
white and eight were colored. The other two directors
were white, still Mr. Burrus served as chairman of the
board, in which capacity it was his especial duty to look
after all the schools and see that the teaching was prop-
erly and faithfully done. Yet when he resigned the chair-
manship of the board, upon his acceptance of his present
position, he was on the pleasantest terms with both col-
leagues and teachers. While a member of the board he

JOHN H. BURRUS. 285

had succeeded in equalizing salaries of white and" colored
teachers, and effected some other measures of a progres-
sive nature. He took part in the municipal elections of
Nashville, and discussed the injustice of not employing
competent colored teachers in the public schools, and for
not furnishing enough school facilities for the colored
children. This election was followed not many months
after by an additional colored school, and for the first
time a corps of colored teachers. He read a paper before
the State Teachers' Institute, held in Nashville in 1880, in
which he spoke of all the Congressional script from the
act of 1862, belonging to Tennessee, having then been
given to the East Tennessee University, and of the colored
people of the State getting no benefit therefrom, although
their numbers entitled them to more than six thousand
dollars of the nearly twenty-four thousand dollars yearly
interest. At the close of the paper he moved that the
institute appoint a committee to meet the Legislature to
convene January, 1881, and call the attention of that
body to the wrong and ask that the injustice be remedied.
A committee was appointed consisting of Mr. J. H. Burrus,
Dr. John Braden, Central Tennessee College, and Professor
L. B. Teft, of what is now Roger Williams University,
Professor H. S. Bennett of Fisk University and several
others. Mr. Burrus was made chairman, and the commit-
tee had several interviews with the Legislature educa-
tional committee. The result was the Legislature passed
an act appropriating twenty-five hundred dollars annu-
ally for the next two years to be used as follows : Each
of the State's twenty-five senators was authorized to

286 MEN OF MARK.

select two colored persons, male or female, of suitable age
and scholarship, who might be sent to any one of the five
institutions specified and receive from the State fifty dol-
lars a jear, the board to pay his or her expenses. A number
of the Republicans of the same Legislature were induced
to appoint a number of young colored men as cadets to
the University of Tennessee, who thereby for several years
got their tuition in Fisk University paid by the aforesaid
University of Tennessee.

Mr. Burrus quietly but firmly holds that the people
ought to take as much pride in their respective States as
do other citizens, that they may condemn the policy of
the ruling party as do other citizens. He also holds that
the}- ought to keep wide awake as to their rights, and
demand their fair and just portion as American citizens
of all public monies spent for educational purposes, and
that wherever they are denied or defrauded out of the
same, they shall unceasingly protest against the un-
American, unpatriotic and unjust discrimination until the
wrong is righted. Upon his urgent recommendation, the
first Legislature of his adopted State that was elected
after his acceptance of the Alcorn A. M. College, Rodney,
Mississippi, appropriated in addition to the usual amount
for running expenses eleven thousand dollars for additions
to the library and apparatus, and for greatly needed
repairs.

With the aid of his. co-workers the attendance at the
college has steadily increased until it is now shown by the
catalogue to be two hundred and sixteen, about double
what it was before his connection with the institution.

JOHN H. BURRUS. 287

President Burrus has a large heart and is ever full of plans
for the benefit of his students. His duties are discharged
with singular ability and extreme conscientiousness. His
rough road in early life is having a fruitful end as well as
a peaceful one. He knows how to extend sympathy to
those who are climbing the educational ladder; he has
been over the whole road and knows every foot of the
way. His attachment for his brothers is really pleasant
to behold. He is loving and affectionate, and he has very
tenderly cared for his mother.

288 MEN OF MARK.

XXXI.

HENRY F WILLIAMS, ESQ.

Composer — Violinist and Cornetist — Band Instructor.

MR. WILLIAMS forced his way upward in the face of
all those difficulties, against which the Negro has
to contend. The singular excellence which he reached in
this art was mainly the result of careful study He had
the gift, which he faithfully cultivated. His aim was to
become master of the situation, and he did this. At the
Colliseum of Boston he figured conspicuously among
voices, accompanied by an orchestra of two thousand
musicians ; with the exception of Mr. F E. Lewis, he was
the only colored performer. He was dignified and grace-
ful, and his manly appearance caused much comment. His
talent was put to a severe test, by his being required to
execute on the double bass a very difficult piece — Wagner's
Tannhauser This was done, not because his ability was
doubted, but for a protection to his color should objec-
tions to him arise. The gentleman who gave the test said
he wanted to be able to point to his excellent results.

So proficient was Mr. Williams that men forgot his
color and thought only of his excellent music. No man
took offense because the orchestra contained a sable son

HENRY F WILLIAMS.

HENRY P. WILLIAMS. 289

of Ham, but all was union and harmony He -was far
superior to many of the fairer performers. He could look
back with pride on thirty years of very persevering energy,
which was ripe with experience. He felt as did Beethoven,
the barriers are not erected, which can say to aspiring
talent and industry, "thus far and no farther." The way
he did not find he made.

There are many who persevere in life, but continue only
for a season, and then sit down discouraged and disgusted,
because they have not reached the giddy heights of fame.
Men must remember there is no royal road to learning;
that fame must be attained by severe self-denials of many
pleasures, and in this way only can man hope to achieve
those exalted positions and undying fame which are so
much cherished by noble souls.

Mr. Williams was born in Boston, August 13, 1813. He
began his studies when he was seven years old, mainly by
his own efforts. He pulled himself up to the pinnacle of

«

fame from obscurity and a very humble position. What
he has done, others can do. His soul was filled with
melody, and his hand was skilled with such an infinite
touch that he made his instrument a part of himself; it
only caught the harmony within and gave utterance of
love and vocalization with the insensible matter of which
his instrument was made. I said insensible; but truly,
nothing can be insensible to so delicate a touch and
sympathetic nature. All things were friends to him that
had music in them.

He is a skillful performer on the violin, double bass and
cornet; and is also able to play the violincello, baritone

290 MEN OF MARK.

trombone and piano-forte. He is also a skillful arranger
of music for these instruments. As a composer, his music
is attractive, soothing and captivating, and he has thereby
secured the recognition of eminent publishers. Persons
who so bitterly opposed him among the white, from the
selfish prejudice of their natures, became his warm ad-
mirers.

His fa vorite instruments seem to be the violin and cornet.
Upon these he produces charming music, which is quite
varied, from the fantastic to the gravest. He gave much
time to the formation and instruction of bands, and was
often employed by the celebrated P S. Gilmore. He is the
author of many pieces, such as "Come Love and List
Awhile; " "It was by Chance we Alet ; " "I Would I had
Never met Thee," etc. His productions have had good
sales, from which he has realized a handsome profit.
Many doubted his authorship, but were soon made to
acknowledge his rare ability by the unmistakable powers
of his genius.

Such a brief outline of the career of a master, an almost
self-taught musician, whose life affords but another illus-
tration of the power and force of courage and industry in
enabling a man to surmount and overcome difficulties and
obstacles of no ordinary character, is given here as a
light to guide aspiring young musicians. A fuller sketch of
him will be found in 'Music and Some Highly Musical
People,' by James M. Trotter, through whose kindness we
have been permitted to use the cut which accompanies this
sketch.

EDMUND KELLY. 291

XXXII.

REV EDMUND KELLY.

Christian Letter-Writer — Lecturer and Author.

THIS good man was born May 23, 1818. He is the
son of a slave woman and Edmund Kelly, an emi-
grant from Ireland, who in early manhood settled in Ten-
nessee. As the father was unable to purchase his family,
the children all followed the condition of the mother and
remained slaves. When young Edmund Kelly was but six
years old, his mother was sold from her little ones and he
with his sister were left to the mercies of the slave-
holders. In 1833 Mr. Kelly was hired to a very well to do
primary school-master, where he served as a table waiter,
errand boy, and in whatever work he could be useful. He
was always desirous of an education, and the opportuni-
ties offered the slave for mental improvement were scanty,
generally none. In this family, however, young Kelly
thought he could take advantage of little children who
came to the house to attend school, and for a speller and a
few lessons he gave the scholars bon bons from his master's
table.

All this was a secret, as no one was allowed to teach the
slave under penalty of the law Mr. Kelly managed in

292 MEN OF MARK.

this way During the day he kept steadily at work and
all his books were carefully hidden. Early each night he re-
tired with a prayer that God would guide and direct him and
wake him at eleven p m.; thus he first learned how to pray.

At the appointed hour he awoke and studied and wrote
until one a. m. For some time this was done entirely un-
known to every one save the teacher and the taught, but at
last the watchful eye of his mistress discovered some books
in which was legibly written "Edmund Kelly." After some
questioning and finding out that all concerned were minors,
she gave up the investigation and did nothing against it.
In the above way Mr. Kelly laid the foundation for after
study, for he never had the privilege of attending school in
his life.

In April, 1837, Edmund Kelly gave his heart to Him
who had blessed him above many of his fellow slaves, and
the first of May that same year, at Columbus, Tennessee,
he was baptized and joined a Baptist missionary church
in that place, composed of both white and colored mem-
bers. This brother was a convert from the Catholic faith
of his father to the Baptist principles, by private study of
the New Testament, consequently his open declaration of
a new faith created not a little stir and many persons
witnessed his immersion.

On the nineteenth of May, 1842, he was licensed by the
church of which he was a member to preach the gospel
without an application for this privilege, and October 1,
the same year, after a unanimous vote had shown the ap-
proval of the church and congregation, Rev. R. B. C. Har-
well, D. D., pastor of the First Baptist church (white), of

EDMUND KELLY 293

Nashville, Tennessee, ordained this brother to the Christian
ministry as an evangelist. His first subsequent labor was
the organization of the Alt. Lebanon Baptist church, in
1843, with only six members.

As Rev Kelly always felt it his duty to lead men in the
straight and narrow path, he never accepted any civil
positions nor titles, though many have been offered him.
With ardent soul has he worked for the furtherance of the
blessed influence of gospel knowledge—

First. By introducing missions into the Southern plan-
tations by the aid of zealous, humble Christian men and
women.

Second. By writing letters on simple gospel themes to
be read to the unconverted for their salvation, and for
encouragement to the converted.

We were furnished by this brother with a little book
written by himself showing the course he pursued in Bible
study This contains many questions and answers quoted
from the divine word, which are to be committed by the
persons taught. In this way he conducted Sunday school
and Bible readings.

Said Rev Daniel A. Payne, Washington, D. C, once, in
speaking of this brother's method :

I have had the happiness of being present at one of his exhibi-
tions, and am, therefore, prepared to recommend it to 3-011 as one of
the best I ever witnessed. The cause of our common Christianity and
■our common humanity will be greatly promoted by furnishing him with
opportunities of demonstrating the utility and beauty of his method
before your congregations.

He had the interests of the Negro at heart, and for forty

294 MEN OF MARK.

years he steadily plead for and defended the cause of this
deeply wronged race, and as an outgrowth of experience
in mission work the following subjects were written on
and sent to any one desiring them: 1. "Edmund Kelly's
Kej- to the Work Among the Colored People of the
South." 2. " The Colored People from the Flood, from a
Bible Standpoint, Including Africa's quota to the Ameri-
can Nation." 3. "The Three Amendments to the National
Constitution, with their Historic Sketches." -i. "The
Colored Race as Slaves in this Country from 1620, Com-
mencing with Twenty Slaves and Ending with Six
Millions, all Free now" 5. "A Light that is not Clear
nor Dark." 6. " Indispensableness of Colored Organiza-
tions in this Country, in Order to their Full Development
as a Part of One Great Whole."

As a temperance worker, too, for over thirty years
throughout the North and South has this consecrated
soldier upheld the banner of the Lord, and anywhere he
may be called to do any labor for his Master he gladly
goes.

During his life he has always been a successful minister,
pastor and evangelist, and has accumulated much, though
it has generously been expended in mission work and for
the education of his family, which he bought from slavery,
paying for a wife and four children twenty-eight hundred
dollars. With these he went North, where his children
were educated, among whom are Professor J. H. Kelly of
Columbia and W D. Kelly, who was a member of the
Fifty-fourth Massachusetts regiment.

This aged soldier for Christ, though worn with many

EDMUND KELLY. 295

years of service, is still active and vigorous, writing for the
benefit of mankind the results of his careful lifelong Bible
study

Many of his children have died and his companion is a
constant sufferer, besides being deprived of her eyesight ;
but in all these afflictions he leans upon God and praises
him for his goodness and love. He is an honored and
faithful minister of the gospel in the city of New Bedford,
Massachusetts.

296 MEN OF MARK.

XXXIII.

REV PRESTON TAYLOR.

Pastor of the Church of the Disciples, Nashville, Tennessee — General
Financial Agent of a College — Big Contractor.

OUR subject is the leading minister of the Church of
the Disciples. He was born in Shreveport, Louis-
iana, November 7, 1849. He was born in slavery; his
parents were Zed and Betty Taylor. He was carried to
Kentucky when a year old ; he was a promising boy and
shed sunshine wherever he was. At the age of four years
he heard his first sermon on the spot where the First
Baptist church now stands, in the city of Lexington, Ken-
tuck}', and afterwards told his mother that he would be a
preacher some day ; so deep was the impression made on
his young mind that years have not been able to eradicate
it. He was affectionately cared for, and he grew up as
Samuel of old — ripe for the duties of his life. When the war
broke out he saw the soldiers marching, and determined to
join them at the first opportunity, and so he enlisted in
Company G, One Hundred and Sixteenth United States in-
fantry, in 1 864, as a drummer, and was at the siege of Rich-
mond, Petersburg, and the surrender of Lee. His regiment
also did garrison duty in Texas, then returned to New Or-

PRESTON TAYLOR.

PRESTON TAYLOR. 297

leans, where they did garrison duty until mustefed out of
the service. He then learned the stonecutter's trade and
became skilful in monument work and also in engraving
on marble. He went to Louisville, Kentucky, and in the
leading marble vards found plenty of work, but the white
men refused to work with him because of his color. He
was offered a situation as a train porter on the L. & C. rail-
road, and for four years he was known as one of the best
railroad men in the service, and when he resigned he was
requested to remain with a promotion to assistant bag-
gage-master; but as he could be no longer retained, the
officers gave him a strong recommendation and a pass
over all the roads for an extensive trip, which he took
through the North. He accepted, on his return, a call to
the pastorate of the Christian church at Mt. Sterling,
Kentucky He remained there fifteen years, and the Lord
prospered him in building up the largest congregation in
the State among those of his faith, besides building them
the finest brick edifice, as a place for the worship of God,
in that section of the State. During these fifteen years he
became known as the leading minister of his church in the
United States. Not only in Kentucky has he been instru-
mental in organizing and building both congregations and
meeting-houses, but he was unanimously chosen the gen-
eral evangelist of the United States, which position he now
holds, besides assisting in the educational work of his race.
He very recently purchased the large, spacious college
property at New Castle, Kentucky, which originally cost
eighteen thousand dollars, exclusive of'the grounds, and at
once began the task of paying for it. The school is in

298 MEN OF MARK.

operation with a corps of teachers, and has a bright future
before it. He is still one of the trustees, and the financial
agent of what is now known as the "Christian Bible Col-
lege," at New Castle. Some idea can be given of this man
of push and iron nerve and bold undertakings by giving a
passage in his life. When the Big Sandy railroad was
under contract to be completed from Mt. Sterling to Rich-
mond, Virginia, the contractors refused to hire colored men
to work on it, preferring Irish labor. He at once made a
bid for Sections 3 and 4, and was successful in his bid ; he
then erected a large commissary and quarters for his men,
bought seventy-five head of mules and horses, carts,
wagons, cans and all the necessary implements and tools,
and, with one hundred and fifty colored men, he led the way.
In fourteen months he completed the two miles of the
most difficult part of this great trunk line at a cost of
about twenty-five thousand dollars.

The president of the road, Mr. C. B. Huntington, said he
had built thousands of miles of road, but he never saw a
contractor who finished his contract in advance ; and so
he then was requested by the chief engineer of the works
to move his force to another county and help out some of
the white contractors ; this he did not do. Afterwards he
was offered other important contracts, but declined. A
syndicate in Nebraska offered him the position of superin-
tendent of their coal mines, but knowing it would take
him away from his chosen calling, he declined the offer.
For a number of years he was editor of "Our Colored
Brethren, " a department in the Christian Standard, a
newspaper published as the organ of his denomination at

PRESTON TAYLOR. 290

Cincinnati, Ohio, with a circulation of 50,000 -copies a
week. He has written for many books and periodicals.
He is a member of both Masonic and Oddfellow lodges
and was State Grand Chaplain of the former and State
Grand Master of the latter, and held that position for
three years and traveled all over the State, speaking and
lecturing. Especially do the Oddfellows owe much to him
for their rise and progress, in the State of Kentucky, and
the order conferred upon him as a mark of honor, all the
degrees of -the ancient institution. He has represented his
lodge in many of the National conventions of the B. M. C,
preaching the annual sermons for a number of years. His
headquarters are at Nashville, Tennessee, and he lives in
considerable style, with a handsome office and library
worth one thousand dollars. The pastoral oversight of
the Gay Street church at Nashville, Tennessee, increases his
labors. This is one of the largest, wealthiest and most in-
fluential congregations in the city I will give another
incident that will show the character of the man, how he
loves his race, and with what respect he treats them.
While serving the church in Nashville, in 1886, the choir
of the church gained great reputation by taking a prize
over every other church choir in the city, in a musical con-
test. The Nashville American gave a very flattering
account of the results which caused forty-two leading citi-
zens of the white race to petition through the pastor of
the church, for a concert to be given in the opera house for
the special benefit of their friends. When Mr. Taylor met'
this committee, they informed him that on the night of
the concert the colored people would be expected to take

300 MEN OF MARK.

the gallery as usual. Mr. Taylor refused deliberately to
have anything further to do with the matter and publicly
denounced the whole crowd in his church, which was very
satisfactory to the colored citizens who urged him to give
a concert nevertheless, and he consented. On the night of
the concert there was scarcely standing room for the
people, who said they desired to show their appreciation
of this manly stand in resenting such overtures, and the
result was an increase to the treasury of over two hundred
dollars. He is one of the leading men in the community
where he lives, commanding the respect of all who know
him. A slight idea may be given of his popularity by
stating that once when a gold cane was voted for in some
entertainment in the city of Nashville, his name was sub-
mitted by his friends to be voted for. He opposed the
.suggestion, but, nevertheless, when the votes were counted,
out of the three thousand votes in that large city, he got
over two-thirds of the number A quotation from the
Christian Standard, Cincinnati, Ohio, March 3, 1886, will
give some estimate of how he is held by the editor of that
paper. A grand party was given for his benefit, and the
editor used these words in reference to his absence.

We have just received an invitation to a tea party at Nashville, Ten-
nessee, to be given in honor of Ed. Preston Taylor. We would go all
that distance, were it possible, to show our respect for the zeal, ability
and untiring energy of Preston Taj'lor. As we cannot go, we take this
method of atoning for our absence.

Mr. Taylor is a man who will impress you when you
meet him as thoroughly in earnest. He is never idle,

PRESTON TAYLOR. 301

always with new plans, warm hearted, generous, sympa-
thetic and a true brother to all men who deserve the cog-
nizance of earnest, faithful workers for Christ.

302 MEN OF MARK.

XXXIV

HON. SOLOMON G. BROWN.

Distinguished Scientist— Lecturer — Chief Clerk of the Transportation
Department of the Smithsonian Institute, Washington, District of
Columbia — Entomologist — Taxidermist— Lecturer on " Insects " and
"Geology."

SOLOMON G. BROWN was the fourth son of Isaac and
Rachel Brown. He was born of free parents in the
city of Washington, District of Columbia, February 14,
1829. He was deprived of the common school education
by the loss of his father in 1833, when his mother was
left a widow, and had at that time six children. They
were very poor. His father's property was seized for pre-
tended debts in 1834, leaving the family penniless and home-
less. Solomon was early placed under the care of a Mr.
Lambert Tree, assistant postmaster in the city post-office.
He received an appointment under Mr Tree in one of the
departments in the post-office in 1844, from which he was
detailed to assist Professor Joseph Henry, Professor Sam-
uel F Morse and Mr. Alfred Vail in putting the new mag-
netic telegraph system in operation in 1S45, and he
remained with them until the enterprise was purchased by
the Morse Telegraph company, when he accepted a situa-

SOLOMON G. BROWN. 303

tion as battery tender from the new company, and served
until appointed assistant packer to Gillman & Bros, man-
ufactory, in their chemical laboratory

This is quite an incident in Mr. Brown's history, for he
was present when the first wire was laid from Baltimore
to Washington. It will be remembered that Mr. Morse
had conceived the idea of a magnetic telegraph system in
1832, and had exhibited it to the Congress in, 1837, and
had vainly attempted to get a patent in England, as Pro-
fessor Wheatstone in England had claimed a prior inven-
tion over the American. He struggled on with scanty
means until 1843, and just as he was about to give up the
whole matter Congress, at midnight in the last moment
of the session, appropriated thirty thousand dollars for
the purpose of making an experiment with the line between
Baltimore and Washington. After the success of this line
Mr. Morse was voted testimonials, orders of nobility,
honors and wealth, but the Negro who assisted materially
has been almost forgotten. Mr. Brown was a natural
scientist, and coming in contact with these learned men
only increased his thirst for knowledge. He is a man of
rare scientific acquirements, very unassuming in his appear-
ance, and yet his intelligence would astonish one on mak-
ing his acquaintance. Mr. Brown is very handy with the
brush, for while he was in this chemical laboratory he
mounted and colored maps for the general land office as
well as prepared colors in the Gideon company's book-
binding establishment, where he remained until 1852, when
he was appointed to the foreign exchange division of the
then new Smithsonian Institute where he has remained until

304 MKN OF MARK.

this time, filling acceptably all positions that he has been
honored with. Few men in the city of Washington are
better known, and certainly none stand higher in the esti-
mation of the people. He has filled very many honorary posi-
tions and has done great good for his race. He has been a
trustee of Wilberforce University, and trustee of the
15th Street Presbyterian church, superintendent of the
North Washington Mission Sunday school, and active
member of the Freedmen's Relief association. He was elec-
ted to the legislature for the District of Columbia in 1871,
and re-elected twice, overcoming at one time four candi-
dates. He was trustee of the public schools, grand secre-
tary of the District Grand Lodge of Alasons, commissioner
for the poor in the County of Washington, and one of the
assistant honorary commissioners of the colored depart-
ment of the New Orleans Exposition for the District of
Columbia. In 1866 he was elected to the office of Presi-
dent of the National Union League; was a member of the
executive committee of the Emancipation Monument
erectors, and honorary membe rof the Galbraith Lyceum ;
corresponding member of the St. Paul Lyceum, Baltimore;
director of the Industrial Saving and Building Association
of Washington, District of Columbia ; Washington corres-
pondent of the Anglo-African Christian Recorder when it
was under the management of Bishop H. M. Turner; also
assistant in the organization of the Pioneer Sunday school
association, Hillsdale, District of Columbia, presiding as
superintendent from 1868 to 1887, and is again re-
elected to serve another year. He is also editor of the
"Sunday school Circle "of the Christian Index, at Jackson,

SOLOMON G. BROWN. 305

Tennessee, and a frequent lecturer on scientific questions
before scientific societies in Baltimore, Alexandria and
Washington. Mr. Brown's connection with the Pioneer
association deserves to be especially mentioned.

In early days, directly after the war, when General 0. 0.
Howard had charge of the Freedmen's Bureau, through
it, in some way, a little town now known as Hillsdale
was purchased and many families secured homes for them-
selves in that neighborhood. Mr. Brown was one of
these, and through his direction, encouragement and
advice many happy homes have been established, to which
the Pioneer association with its very large Sunday school
work, its brilliant concerts, its Bible readings, lectures
and other entertainments, has added materially to the
moral, spiritual and intellectual and financial condition
of the people. Only judgment day will be able to tell the
good that Solomon G. Brown has accomplished in that
neighborhood. Personally acquainted with him, living in
his house for several years, I can speak from knowledge.
His whole life seems devoted to the people. He spends
his money freely in providing those things for the intel-
lectual culture and the moral training of the Sunday
school attendants, male and female, young and old, and
he was never weary in well-doing. No period of my life
was more pleasantly spent than in his house. Sur-
rounded as he is with musical people, with the choicest
library, pictures and other evidences of culture, one could
not but enjoy life. His home is indeed a pleasant one, be-
cause his amiable wife, whom he married June 16, 1864, has
been to him truly a helpmeet and has contributed largely

306 MEN OF MARK.

to the carrying out of his plans. Mr. Brown is a poet,
and has in press a book of poems which will show to
some extent his genius and literary taste. Never having
been blessed with children of his own, he has adopted sev-
eral and trained them to useful womanhood.

Solomon G. Brown began his public lecturing on the
sciences about the year 1855. His first lecture was deliv-
ered January 10, 1855, before the Young Peoples' Literary
society and lyceum, at Israel church, Washington, Dis-
trict of Columbia, south of the Capitol building, to a
large, fashionable audience ; this lecture was called out by
the request of several prominent citizens of Washington,
as will be shown from the following letter :

Mr. Solomon G. Brown.

Dear Sir : A number of your personal friends who were present at the
last meeting of the Young Peoples' Club, at Israel (presided over by Dr.
Enoch Ambush), were somewhat surprised at certain pleasing and in-
structive remarks, made by 3'ou in explanation of society, especially
when you so graphically described the social habits of insects, etc., and
in order that we may hear you more fully, we beg to request that you
will at some early date consent to give us a lecture on insects, at such
place as you may select.

We are yours very truly,

Sampson Nutter.

Anthony Bowen.

Andrew Foote.

William Slade.

Alfred Kiger.

James Wright.

Andrew B. Tinney.

James Wormley.

Alfred Barbour.
Washington, District of Columbia, November 24, 1854.

SOLOMON G. BROWN. 307

A reply was made and forwarded, and January 10, was
named as the time. Mr. Brown was introduced by Mr.
Enoch Ambush. He was greeted by a large, intelligent
audience, among whom were several white citizens.

The lecturer, after thanking the audience for their flatter
ing ovation and Dr. Ambush for his fine introduction,
said that we are now introduced as a race to a new and
rich field of thought, quite different from that in which we
have been accustomed to engage, for from all the facts
that he could gather, he, S. G. Brown, was the first to
enter the field as a lecturer and student of natural science,
and more especially zoology, and for that reason he
begged of the hearers a patient sympathy in his feeble
efforts. He then began thus :

But before I proceed, and I cannot consent to do so without first pay-
ing a living compliment to those profound, eminent thinkers who have,
after years of labor, study, investigation and research, added so much
to our stock of knowledge, in that department of zoology called insects.

The scientists I will name in the order that they have fixed themselves
in my mind as follows: Say, Melsheimer, Harris, Fitch, LeConte (father
and son), Randall, Haldman, Ziegler and others, who have for 3rears
pursued industriously the study of entomology, and have many of them,
departed and left their labors on record in so many scientific memoirs as
a record. And I am here to-night to say, that to them the world owes
much for our present stock of knowledge of these little animated crea-
tures, both as a benefit and rare benefit to human economy.

The word "Insect" is derived from the Greek and means cut into. A
living creature whose form is articulated, having a sensitive body com-
posed of three distinct parts ; the head, the thorax and the abdomen-
Legs, six in number; the first two act as maxillary ; the second two as
super-maxillary ; the third two as lifters or props to an overhanging
oblongated abdomen. Two, and sometimes four wings, attached to
the thorax and abdomen. Along the sides are openings or spiracules

308 MEN OF MARK.

lined with ferruginous hairs, through which the3" breathe or carry on
respiration.

The word " Insect " is sometimes used in a sense of derision, as some-
thing small, insignificant, mean, low and contemptible. This we think
is a grave error, for in nothing created (except man ) has God in His
infinite wisdom and goodness, displayed so much grandeur and wonder
as is found in these minute, delicate and wonderful creatures. And we
do this evening come to the defense of the insect and claim for it a high
place in the great kingdom of zoology, and class it as the head of the
articulates, forming a distinct branch, yet a zoological unit, and a
thing worthy of the best and most costly investigation and thought, for
no man can boast of a complete knowledge of zoology without at least
some acquaintance with entomolog}'.

I am truly proud to say that among the branches studied to inclose a
liberal education now encouraged, that natural history is incorporated,
and some attention and even respect is being paid to the study of ento-
mology; and the most flattering demonstration of that fact is this gath-
ering to-night.

The earlier students have carefully collected and arranged all known
families of insects into groups, families, varieties, genus and species,
naming each class according to some well-defined characteristic. Then
again subdividing them into two grand roots : First, insects which are
beneficial ; second, insects which are injurious to man.

A further investigation was found necessary when it was discovered
that the identical species were not found all over the globe. Then a
geographical distribution was fixed; this and many other difficulties
were met with, among the earliest naturalists, and after a systematic
study of food, habitation, habits, arrival, departure and climatic situa-
tions considered, they finally arrived at a proper philosophical data.

The lecturer dwelt for some time, and spoke of many
amusing incidents of superstition and of association, in-
dustries, union, affections, offenses and defenses, deceptions
and profanations, their mode of communications, their
song and language, their destructiveness, friendship and
enmity to man, their presence and absence at various sea-

SOLOMON G. BROWN'. 309

sons of the year, their Providence, unity, obedience to
authority and communism. He then named those which
benefited man, such as bees, silk-worms, house-fly and
numerous others ; and among those which injured man, he
named fleas, chigoes, ticks, bed-bugs, horse-flies, wasps,
hornets, mosquitoes, lice, ants, scorpions, etc.

In the concluding portion of the lecture, the social ordei
of insects was again referred to at some length, and it
was proven very clearly and logically, as well as wittily,
that insects in very many cases had been men's closest
and nearest companions, more so than any other known
animal, following him through all departments of life, at
times even his bed-fellow and constant bosom friends.

The lecturer was applauded very heartily at the conclu-
sion, and, indeed it was a decided success, as may be
judged from the many times this lecture has been repeated
— each time by request.

This lecture was fully illustrated by forty-nine large
drawings or diagrams, and was repeated in Georgetown,
District of Columbia, for Rev. \V H. Hunter, Alexandria,
Virginia; Rev. Clement Robertson, Baltimore, Maryland.
Three times at different places : at Zion, Wesley, South
Washington. The following lectures followed this;
"Geology," "Water," "Air," "Food," "Coal," "Miner-
alogy," "Telegraph," "Fungus," "Embryo Plants,"
"Man's Relations to the Earth," "Straight Lines, its Pro-
duct, Circles and its Waste," "God's Providence to Man,"
"Early Educators of D. C," and six others.

In connection with his own diagram, Mr. Brown has
prepared or assisted in preparing nearly all the important

310

MEN OF MARK.

diagrams for the grand scientific lectures which have been
delivered in the famous Smithsonian course for the past
thirty-five years.

The following is an outline of a lecture by the Hon.
Solomon G. Brown, and shows in a great measure his in-
terest in these matters.

The first lecture on geology before the annual conference
of the A. M. E. church, Bethel church, Baltimore, April,
1863, by special invitation of a committee. The immense
building was filled when Rev. Henry M. Turner [now
Bishop] introduced the lecturer. After being introduced to
the vast audience, the lecturer began by saying that the
selection of the subject to be discussed was not left to him,
but had been called out by an invitation from a special
committee appointed by the conference. Then he pro-
ceeded by saying that geology is the science which treats
of the constitutional crust of the earth; its object is to
describe the mineral matter and its organic remains, both
animal and vegetable, that have lived and held a place
upon the globe, many of which are now extinct. It also
marks the successive changes that have passed over with
time, also the laws that have governed these changes.

Geology is divided into three distinct departments, as follows:

1. Descriptive geology.

2. Theoretical geology.

3. Practical geology.

The descriptive exhibits the facts of science,
The theoretical attempts to account for them ; and the
Pratical shows their practical application to practical purposes.
Subservient to geology is chemistry, which treats of the ultimate parts
of matter and their modes of combination ; mineralogy, which char-

SOLOMON G. BROWN. 311

acterizes and classifies the various rocks and minerals of which the earth
is composed ; botany and zoology, which describes plants and animals ,
and physical geography, which relates the facts concerning the general
distribution of matter at the surface of the earth, the form and extent of
continents and islands, rivers and mountain systems, together with the
changes now occurring in them. And in order to get a more complete
knowledge of geology we will necessarily have to consider the chemistry
of the earth. In doing this we recognize sixty elements or simple bodies
which combine to produce all the varieties of matter with which we are
acquainted. Many of them occur in small quantities and are rarely seen.
Fifteen or sixteen of these elements enter largely into the compositions of
rocks.

These substances, however, very rarely present themselves in their ele-
mentary state ; but combined with each other they make the greater
portion of the earth's crust.

The most prevalent of these is oxygen, which forms eight -ninths of
water, one-fifth of the atmosphere, and constitutes one-half of all the
matter known to us.

With silicon it forms silica ; with potassium it forms potassia ; with
iron, the oxide of iron, etc. There are but few minerals or fossils that
do not contain oxygen.

Hydrogen forms a portion of minerals, especially bituminous coal,
and enters into the composition of water.

Nitrogen is not so abundant, but is found in the bones of animals, liv-
ing and fossils, in vegetables and in the atmosphere.

Carbon is the most abundant ingredient in coal, and enters into the
composition of limestone, which is carbonate of lime.

Sulphur exists in the sulphurets of the metals; sulphuret of iron, iron
pyrites, sulphuret of lead, galena or lead ore ; also in sulphates, as sul-
phate of lime, gypsum or plaster of paris.

It is thrown out extensively by volcanoes. Chlorine is one of the con-
stituents of rock salt (chloride of sodium) and is widely diffused in the
ocean.

Fluorine occurs in fluoride of calcium (fluor spar) and other minerals.

Phosphorus enters into the composition of many minerals and of ani-
mal bones, as the phosphate of lime.

Silicon exists in most of the rocks, combined with oxygen, as silica

<5i J MEN OF MARK.

quartz, which constitutes about fort}'-five per cent, of the crust of the
earth, and form the walls of nearly all vegetable matter.

Oxide of Aluminum. — Aluminia forms one-fifth of the mineral feldspar,
and abounds in clay and slate rocks ; it is estimated at ten per cent, of all
the rocks.

The oxide of potassium also enters largely into feldspar and clay. »

Sodium forms a part of rock salt and other minerals.

The oxide calcium (lime) occurs chiefly in carbonates (limestone, mar-
ble I, which is estimated to form one-fourteenth part of the globe's crust.

Magnesia. — The oxide of magnesia enters into the composition of many
rocks, and abounds in magnesium limestone.

Iron is very widely diffused in the various forms of its ores, oxide, car-
buret, sulphuret, etc., and by these the geologist is enabled to discover
the various changes that have taken place by the agency of chemical
affinity for many thousands of ages.

i

The lecturer then took up at length the following agen-
cies which had modified, reduced and changed the surface
of the earth fr<3m away back into millions of years, as
follows :

Atmospheric, aqueous, igneous and organic. The lec-
turer then concluded with practical geology.

The lecture was illustrated by twenty-nine large, well
executed diagrams. No. 1 of the set showed the geological
formations of stratas in their geological order. All the
other twenty-eight were fully explained.

"WORTHY THE LAMB THAT WAS SLAIN."

BY HON. SOLOMON O. BROWN.

On the mountain tops the beacon lights are kindled

By the rosy flush that tells the clay is born ;
Height to height replies as up the waiting heavens

Comes the rising sun that heralds Easter morn ;

SOLOMON G. BROWN. 313

Smiles the earth arrayed in robes of living verdure,
Sing the birds on leafy bough a joyous strain,

Nature joins with man in praise and adoration,
Sa}Ting : Worthy is the lamb that was slain !

In their channels leap the streams with throbbing pulses,

Life renewed is in each whisper of the breeze,
All the little twigs and shoots are stirring softly

With the life that animates the waving trees ;
Overhead the cloudless sk3' is brightly bending,

Sunbeams rest alike on grassy hill and plain,
Earth and heaven are lighting up their glad thanksgiving,

Saying : \Vorth3r is the lamb that once was slain !

Bring no spices to anoint the dead, ye mourners,

From the grave fihe stone of grief is rolled away ;
Over death and hell the Saviour rose triumphant

On the morning of the Resurrection day ;
Seek him not within the tomb for he is risen ;

Tesus is not here, behold where he has lain !
Look above while angels s^Mell the joyous anthem,

Saying : Worthy is the lamb that once was slain !

Hallelujah! for the crucified is risen,

Let the earth rejoice, the mountains clap their hands,
Let the floods be glad and offer up thanksgiving,

Hallelujah ! oh, be joyful all ye lands,
Sing aloud for joy all nations and all people,

Angels and archangels swell the loud refrain,
With the blood- bought millions cast your crown before him,

Saying : Worthy is the lamb that once was slain !

314 MEN OF MARK.

XXXV

JOHN MITCHELL, JR.

The Gamest Negro Editor on the Continent— A Man of Grit and Iron
Nerve — A Natural Born Artist.

MEN are brave often from experience with arms and
the scenes of war, others because of a recklessness
of life and a dare-devil spirit, and still others are born for
deeds of bravery and glide as easily to places of danger as
if led by unerring instinct ; they are bold, aggressive, de-
termined and venturesome. Such a man as the last is
John Mitchell, jr., and it remains yet for history to say for
certainty what good July 11, 1863, had in store for the
Nation, for on this day he first raised his infant voice. It
was when his parents lived in Henrico county ; they were
slaves. His mother was a seamstress and his father was
a coachman. From the day of his birth it will be observed
that he, too, was a slave. But little does he know of
those dark and "cruel slaArery days." The sound of can-
non, the roar of musketry, the hissing of grape and can-
ister did not go unheeded by his infant ears. At this
time the "Fall of Richmond," the Union sentinels passing
back and forward on the streets of the city did not slightly
attract his attention. Little fellow that he was, their

JOHN MITCHELL JR. 315

presence had as much terror for him as they had for the
rebels. The "blue coats ' " mission, however, he could not
then understand. His mother taught him his a, b, c's,
a-b ab's and e-b eb's and the other monosyllabic begin-
nings, in that old antiquated method, now a long time
out of date. Many times has he felt the full force of her
hand on his young face to enable him to have a better
appreciation of his lessons. As he grew older, he coupled
with his school duties that of the duties of a newsboy,
peddling the evening daily papers on the streets of the
city, with all the strength of his young life crying out
"State Journal, here's your State Journal." He soon
became carriage boy for James Lyons, a rich, aristocrat
lawyer; he was a typical Southerner who had owned
young Mitchell's parents before the war, and consequently
had been his "marster." The boy often accompanied him
to his farm in Henrico county

It was this Southerner who tried to instil in him the
idea that there were no colored gentlemen, the same hav-
ing been told him when, upon answering the door bell, he
would inform Mr. Lyons that a colored gentleman wished
to see him. His mother had so taught him, and it could
be readily seen that she had different ideas from that of
the "blue blood" on that score. It was here he had the
recollection of seeing Jefferson Davis, the ex-President of
the Confederate States, and he was reminded that he had
a glass eye, a thing that remains fresh in his mind to the
present day He also waited on the table at Mr Lyons'
residence on the corner of Sixth and Gray streets, the

316 MEN OF mark:

place now being the palatial quarters of the Westmore-
land Club.

He bitterly opposed young Mitchell's being educated,
but despite all this his mother kept him at school, taught
by Rev. A. Binga, jr., now of Manchester, Virginia. What
ability he had, if any existed at that time, seemed latent
within him. In 1876 he entered the Richmond Normal
High School. In 1877 he received the silver medal for
having stood the highest in a class of thirty pupils. This
so encouraged him that he was successful ever after in this
direction for years. A competition in map drawing at
the Fair Grounds of the State Agricultural Society, at
Richmond, took place, and a gold medal was offered for
the best map of Virginia, and he lost, though he tried very
hard. He thought that he lost unjustly He was careful
as to details and was sure if accuracy was called in ques-
tion he would win.

This defeat but spurred him on to greater efforts ; he felt
convinced that he could win, and he was determined to
make others have the same opinion. January 1, 1881, he
brought into the school-room a map of Virginia, on which
he had spent his Christmas holidays to make it ornamen-
tal as well as accurate. His surprise was great when
teachers and pupils gathered round and gazed in wonder-
ment upon the production. This he donated to the school
upon the suggestion of the principal, and then proceeded to
draw another which would render insignificant the work
they had taken the pains to praise.

In May, 1871, this production was exhibited. Crowds
of pupils gazed thereon; it was taken from him and he

JOHN MITCHELL, JR. 317

heard nothing more of it until at the graduation .exercises,
Hon. A. M. Riley, who was minister to Austria, and now
one of the judges of the Court of the Khedive of Egypt,
saw it and said it was worthy of a special gold medal, and
he would be the one to present it. This he did June 5,
1881, stating that it was the best production ever exe-
cuted by any pupil, white or black, in the State.

Young Mitchell stood at the head of his class and won a
gold medal offered for that accomplishment. In 1881 he
won another gold medal in an oratorical contest in which
there were five competitors. He has since drawn a map
of Yorktown, surrounded by dignitaries of the Revolution-
ary War. All this was done with lead pencils which usu-
ally cost two cents each. The work resembles the finest
steel engraving, and would be readily taken for such. Mr.
Mitchell has never received any lessons in the work and
this makes it the more surprising. So imbued were his
friends with the fine character of the work that they en-
deavored to secure for him an apprenticeship in the Bureau
of Engraving and Printing at Washington, District of Co-
lumbia.

Addressing Mr. M. E. Bell, supervising architect at
Washington, Senator William Mahone, of Virginia, said :
"I wish you would give a moment to this young colored
man. See his drawings, they will interest you. There is
talent here which ought to be encouraged."

Hon. B. K. Bruce, then register of the treasury depart-
ment, wrote : "I cordially concur with the sentiments ex-
pressed by Senator Mahone, and hope Mr. Mitchell may
receive the encouragement he so richly deserves."

318 MEN OF MARK.

Senator John A. Logan wrote, after seeing the drawings :
"I most cordially concur in what has been said of Mr.
Mitchell. He is a wonderful young man in his line."

August 15, 1881, when Hon. Fred Douglass wrote to
Mr J. W Cromwell, by whom Mitchell had been sent: "I
am much obliged to j^ou ; I am glad to have the evidence
of the talent and skill afforded in the map of Viginia by
your young friend, John Mitchell, jr., with the industry,
patience and perseverance which he has shown in this work,
I have no fear but that young Mitchell will make his way
in the world and be a credit to our race."

In May, 1878, young Mitchell professed religion and
joined the First Baptist church, Richmond. He became an
active member of the Sunday school, and was made chair-
man of the executive board of the Virginia Baptist State
Sunday school convention. In 1883 and 1884 he was the
Richmond correspondent of the New York Freeman. De-
cember 5, 1884, he assumed the editorial charge of the
Richmond Planet, since which time the journal has become
the most influential in the State.

Mr. Mitchell is a bold and fearless writer, carrying out
to the letter all he says he will. He has given his attention
particularly to Southern outrages of the colored people.
His exposure of the murder of Banks, a colored man, by
Officer Priddy (white) attracted wide-spread attention.
The jury brought in a verdict that the deceased came to
his death by some unknown disease and no one was to
blame. Mr. Mitchell condemned the crime and declared
the officer guilty of murder He was summoned before the
grand jury, an attempt being made to indict him for mak-

JOHN MITCHELL, JR. 319

ing such a charge. The case was dropped. He.discovered
that the man had been unmercifully clubbed by the officer;
so he consulted four colored physicians in order to have
the body exhumed and the head examined. After much
inquiry, he discovered that the body had been sent to the
dead-house of the University of Virginia, Charlottesville.
He boarded a train for that place and went into the dead-
house; he saw portions of a body which were covered
over as he entered. He did not know the victim. He was
locked in the dead-house himself, by parties present, but
got out, and after hunting for the physician in charge
without success, hurried back to Richmond to appear at
court the next morning. The officer was never punished ;
this was a specimen of Southern justice.

The lynching of Richard Walker, in Charlotte county,
demonstrated Mr. Mitchell's courage again. This colored
man was lynched by a mob of white men at Smithville,
about eighty-six miles from Richmond, Virginia. Mr.
Mitchell condemned the affair and declared that his mur-
derers should be dangled from a rope's end. This occurred
in May, 1886. The editorial appeared on a Saturday, and
on the following Monday he received a letter containing a
piece of hemp, abusing him and declaring they would hang
him, should he put his foot in the county. Mr. Mitchell
replied that he would visit the county, adding : " There are
no terrors, Cassius, in your threats, for I am armed so
strong in honesty that they pass me by like the idle winds,
which I respect not."

Later on he armed himself with a brace of Smith &
Wesson revolvers, went to the scene of the murder, which

320 MEN OF MARK.

was five miles from any railroad station, and was locked
in the jail for the purpose of inspecting the place where
Walker had been found, and then returned to Richmond
and published an account of his trip.

A short account of him appeared lately in the New York
World February 22, 1887, where these words depict
clearly his character. Said this journal :

One of the most daring and vigorous Negro editors, is John Mitchell,
jr., editor of the Richmond Planet. The fact that he is a Negro and
lives in Richmond, does not prevent him from being courageous almost
to a fault.

He is a man who would walk into the jaws of death to
serve his race ; and his courage is a thing to be admired.
Mr. Mitchell is one of the intensest lovers of his race. His
pen seems dipped in vitriol and his words are hurled
with the force of Milton's Satan, whom we find described
as having such strength "that his spear, to equal which,
the tallest pine hewn on Norwegian hills to be the mast of
some great admiral, were but a wand."

JPP

JOHN MITCHELL, JR.

LOUDON FERRILL. 321

XXXVI.

REV LOUDON FERRILL.

Pastor of a Church Incorporated by a State Legislature— An Old-Time
Preacher — Hired by Town Trustees to Preach to the Colored
People.

ONE of the most wonderful men who ever lived on the
soil of Kentucky was the second pastor of what is
now known as the First Baptist church in Lexington. He
was the slave of Mrs. Anna Winston, in Hanover county,
Virginia. His youth was spent about as boys usually
spent their time; but at eleven years of age a singular
thing happened to him, which made him think of a future
life. He was bathing with a companion and they were
saved from drowning only by the help of a woman, who
caught them by the hair of the head and drew them ashore.
After recovering, he received severe punishment and strict
orders were given him to keep away from the river. In a
sketch written at the time of his death, it is said that both
of the boys were of the opinion that had they died they
would have gone to the lake of fire and brimstone ; they
covenanted together that henceforth they would serve God
only.
He served an apprenticeship as a house-joiner. Ferrill

322 MEN OF MARK.

was faithful to his promise, while his partner was recreant
throughout. After baptism he felt that he was called to
preach the gospel, but he was disobedient to the prompt-
ings of his heart. At that time no slave was permitted to
be ordained. Ferrill was permitted, however, by his
brethren, to preach, so far as their power extended, in these
words: "To go forth and preach the gospel wherever
the Lord might cast his lot, and the door should be open
to him." Fifty persons were soon converts under his
ministry When his old master died he became free, and
he and his wife (for at this time he was married) came to
Kentucky in search of a new field of labor.

When he arrived at Lexington he found a preacher known
as "Old Captain" laboring among the people; however,
his days were numbered and the people desired Ferrill to
preach to them, which he refused to do because of the or-
ganization not being in fellowship with the Baptist de-
nomination, although they held the faith and general
practice of Baptists; but he entered into the constitu-
tion of the First Baptist church (white) in 1817 The
colored people then applied to the white church for his
services. The church being in doubt as to what to do, pro-
posed to the Elkhorn association, in 1821, the following
queries : First. " Can persons baptized on a confession of
faith by an administrator not ordained be received into
our churches under any circumstances whatever without
being again baptized ?" Second. " Is it admissible for the
association to ordain free men of color ministers of the
gospel ?" The queries were taken up bj- a committee, con-
sisting of Jeremiah Vardeman, James Fishback, John Ed-

LOUDON FERRILL. 323

wards, Edmund Waller and Jacob Creath, who were
appointed to consider the matter. They reported, first,
that it is not regular to receive such members; second,
that they knew no reason why free men of color could not
be ordained ministers of the gospel, the gospel qualification
being possessed by them. This first resolution referred to
those colored people who had been baptized by "Old Cap<
tain," and the second to Ferrill's ordination. However,
they were all received without re-baptism, and Ferrill was
ordained. Ferrill took regular charge of the church and
served it thirty-two years, during which time it increased
from 280 to 1820 members, and became the largest church
in Kentucky Ferrill was a remarkable man ; he was
descended from a royal line of Africans. Dr William Bright,
a white pastor in the State, said of him: "He had the
manner of authority and command, and was respected
by the whole population of Lexington, and his influence
was more potent to keep order among the blacks than the
police force of the city "

In 1833, when the cholera was raging in Lexington, he
was the only minister that remained faithful; nursing his
wife, who died at this time, and at whose funeral the
largest number attended, which was thirteen, of any of
the funerals of that dreadful day.

There has been many a dispute as to the length of time
it takes to baptize any number of candidates. It is re-
corded in 'Spencer's History of the Baptists,' from whence
we get many valuable facts, that he baptized at one time
220 persons in 85 minutes, and at another time 60 in 45
minutes.

324 MEN OF MARK.

So popular was Loudon Ferrill that tne trustees of the
town of Lexington employed him to preach to the colored
people. It is a singular fact that all good men have ene-
mies, and his endeavored to destroy his church. Solomon
Walker, his oldest deacon, advised him to discontinue his
meetings, but Ferrill said : No, by the help of the Lord
he was going on and believed that he would see so many
people there that the house would not hold them.
And this vision was fully realized, for under his preaching
the attendance at his church was always a very large
one, frequently his church was filled to overflowing.

Harry Quills, "whose heart was said to have been as
black as his face," spread a report that Ferrill's character
was not good in Virginia, but upon some of the white
elders writing to persons living in the neighborhood in
which he was born and raised, they were informed that
his character was unspotted. He made another attempt
to injure Ferrill ; knowing that the law was such that no
free colored person could remain in this State over thirty
days, unless a native of the State, thought he would drive
Ferrill away in this manner. He had warrants gotten
out ; a number of free people were sold and a number went
away. The white people got Dr. Fishback to draw up a
petition to the Legislature to give Ferrill permission to
stay in the State, which was granted, and his church at
length was incorporated by the Legislature under the
name of the "Old Apostolic Church."

In his will he left his property to his two adopted child-
ren, and left the following prayer, also, as a legacy for
Kentucky :

LOUDON FERRILL. 325

0! Great Father of Heaven and earth, bless the citizens of Richmond,
Virginia, for their kindness toward me in my youthful days ; but more
particularly, O Lord, be merciful to the citizens of Lexington, Kentucky,
and may it please Thee to bless, preserve and keep them from sin. Guide
them in all their walks, make them peaceable, happy and truly righteous ;
and when they come to lie down on the bed of death, may thy good
spirit hover around ready to waft their ransomed souls, to Thy good
presence. Lord, grant this for Christ's sake; and, 0! God, bless the
church of which I am pastor, and govern it with Thy unerring wisdom,
and keep it the church as long as time shall last ; and 0, my Maker,
choose, when I am gone, some pastor for them, who may be enabled to
labor with more zeal than 3rour humble petitioner has ever done, and
grant that it may continue to prosper and do good among the colored
race. 0, merciful Father, bless the white people, who have always treated
me as though I was a white man. And bless, I pray Thee, all those who
through envy or malice have mistreated me, and save them, is my prayer.
Bless the Church of Christ, everywhere ; bless the Christians in every
land. Bless, O Lord, my two adopted children and keep them in Thy
way. Bring all sinners in all countries to feel their need of a Saviour,
and pardon all their sins, and when they come to die, take them unto
Thyself, and the glory shall be to the Father and Son and the Holy
Ghost forever and ever. Amen.

The author of this book feels grateful that he shares
especially in this prayer, as be pastored this same church
so nobly established by this servant of the Most High. At
the death of Mr. Ferrill, October 12, 1854, the Lexing-
ton Observer said "that he rests from his labors and his
works do follow him." He had justly acquired an im-
mense influence among the colored people of this city and
surrounding country, and he always exercised this influ-
ence with prudence and for the furtherance of good morals
and religion.

The Kentucky Gazette, March 6, 1878, speaking of his
death, said :

326 MEN OF MARK.

The colored people of Lexington are under a lasting debt and obliga-
tion to Brother Ferrill ; for he did more for their elevation and instruc-
tion than all other agencies combined, and we know that the masters of
his people regarded him as a most useful and valuable assistant in gov-
erning and controlling them, and often averted harsher means. It is
well to familiarize the generation that has sprung up since his death
with the history of his blameless and useful life, for the lessons that it
teaches can hardly be lost upon them. This good man is remembered by
persons now living in Lexington, who worshiped him almost as a saint,
and are never weary of telling of his good deeds. It is said, that in
marrying slaves he used a very sensible ceremony. He pronounced them
" united until death or distance do them part." Long may he be remem-
bered, and his example of holiness and faithfulness be an inspiration to
the rising generation.

RICHARD THEODORE GREENER. 327

XXXVII.

PROFESSOR RICHARD THEODORE GREENER,
A. B., LL. B., LL. D.

Chief Civil Service Examiner — Lawyer — Metaphysician, Logician and
Orator — Prize Essayist — Dean of the Law Department of Howard
University.

WITHOUT doubt the gentleman whose name stands
at the head of this page is one of the most accom-
plished scholars in polite literature among us. In this
statement not an adjective is wasted, nor is it misused. His
studies range over a vast field of learning. His taste is
aesthetical, and can be compared to the eagle in its flights.
He was never known to produce a poor article from his pen.
He is an orator of the finest kind, differing from Douglass
and Langston only in the degree in which they differ from
each other. As we shall show his career, it can easily be
seen that he has spent his life among books and has had
the good judgment to use Bacon's advice when writing
of studies: "Some books are to be tasted, others to be
swallowed and some few to be read and digested ; that is
some books are to be read only in parts, others to be read
bnt not curiously, and some few to be read wholly and
with diligence and attention. Reading maketh a full

328 MEN OF MARK.

man, conference a ready man, writing an exact man."
All three of these characteristics belong to Mr. Greener,
who has risen to his present status from a poor boy, for
he supported a widowed mother by working as a porter
while quite a lad. He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsyl-
vania, and lived in Boston from the time he was five years
of age. He was educated at the grammar school of Cam-
bridge, and then spent two years preparing for college at
Oberlin, Ohio, and finished his preparations at Phillips
Academy, Andover, Massachusetts, the oldest in this
country He graduated from Harvard University as a
Bachelor of Arts in 1870, when he was about twenty-six
years old, and was immediately made principal in the
male department of the institute for the colored youth in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from September, 1870, to
December, 1872. He followed in this position the highly
cultured and distinguished Octavius V Catto, who was
shot in a riot in 1871. Mr. Greener was the first one to be
with him after his assassination. From January 1 to
July 1, 1873, he was principal of the Sumner High School,
Washington, District of Columbia, and was also associate
editor of the New National Era, from April to October of
that same year. September, 1873, found him at work in
the office of the United States attorney for the District of
Columbia. Two months later, in the same year, he was
elected professor of metaphysics and logic in the Univers-
ity of South Carolina at Columbia, which chair he ac-
cepted and filled with great credit until March, 1877,
when the university was closed by the Hampton Legisla-
ture. While he was a professor in this university 4e

R. T. GREENER.

RICHARD THEODORE GREENER. 329

assisted in the departments of Latin and Greek,, and also
taught classes in International law and the Constitution
of the United States. He was active in politics, though
he never held a political office. At the same time he was
librarian of the university from May 14 to October 31,
1875, when he rearranged the thirty thousand volumes
and prepared a catalogue. He also wrote an interesting
monograph on the rare books of the library, which he
read before the American Philological Association, in June,
1877, at the Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Mary-
land. For his labors at the library even the Charleston
News and Courier found words of praise. In 1875 also he
was chosen by a concurrent resolution of the General
Assembly of South Carolina a member of a commission
whose duty it was to revise the school system of the
State. In this commission he was the only one who had
not been the president of the college. He also found time
to complete his law studies, which he had begun in Phila-
delphia and had continued in the office of the attorney for
the District of Columbia, by graduating from the law
school of the South Carolina University, under Judge
Moses, at the head of his class, and was admitted to prac-
tice in the Supreme Court of South Carolina, December
20, 1876, and the Bar of the District of Columbia, April
14, 1877 In 1877 he became instructor in the Law De-
partment in Howard University, and on the death of John
H. Cooke, esq., in 1879, he was elected dean. September,
1880, he resigned the deanship and became a law clerk of
the first comptroller of the United States treasury, Hon.
William Lawrence of Ohio, which position he held until

330 MEN OF MARK.

February 28, 1882, and then begun the active practice of
law. He was an associate counsel with A. K. Brown,
esq., in the defense of J M. W Stone, indicted for wife
murder, and made the opening speech for the defense in
the argument for a new trial, and assisted in the general
conduct of the case. It will be remembered that Stone's
head was cut off by the rope, clean from his neck, when
he was hung, one of the few instances of the kind on
record. In the preparation of his law cases, Mr Greener
is as careful as he would be in the preparation of an ora-
tion on any literary subject. His researches are indicative
of his breadth of learning and acquaintance with text
books in the matter at hand.

He was associate counsel with Hon. Jeremiah Wilson in
the famous extradition case of Samuel L. Perry, one of
those who had been originally exodized from North Caro-
lina, and whose extradition was demanded by Governor
Jarvis on the trumped up charge of forgery Mr. Greener
made the argument before Justice Wiley, of the Supreme
Court of the District of Columbia, on the habeas corpus
hearing, going over all the cases of extradition from 1791
down to the present time. In this argument he was op-
posed to Hon. R. T Merrick, Tilden's counsel in the elec-
torial commission, and counsel for the Government in the
Star Route cases. Mr. Greener won the case and Perrv
was released from custody. He was also associated with
Hon. Martin I. Townsend, United States district attorney,
in the Whittaker court of inquiry, in April and May, 1880,
and made the legal argument before the secretary of war,
Hon. Alex. Ramsev, for the release of Whittaker and the

RICHARD THEODORE GREENER. 331

granting of a court-martial. Whittaker was the colored
student noted at West Point as the one whose ears were
mutilated, and it was charged that he had tied himself and
then mutilated his own ears, which seems to have been im-
possible. The result of his argument was that indefinite
leave was immediately granted and a court-martial was
ordered by President Hayes, December 28, 1880. He was
also associated as counsel with ex-Governor Daniel H.
Chamberlin, from January 20 to June 15, 1881, in defense
of Cadet Whittaker during the court-martial. Mr. Greener
was also secretary of the original exodus committee, with
Senator Windom president, and was chairman of the first
delegation that waited on Senator Windom after his
speech, and stated the grievances of the colored people.
He debated the exodus question with Hon. Fred Douglass,
Washington, District of Columbia, and at the Social
Science congress, at Saratoga, New York, September 13,
1879. In that year, also, he lectured all through the
Western States and wrote many articles to the newspapers
on the different phases of the movement. Professor
Greener has had a large experience in political speaking,
and has done a great deal of political work. In 1876 he
also canvassed the Third Congressional district of South
Carolina for Hayes and Wheeler and Chamberlin. His ex-
perience is enrolled on the Senate miscellaneous documents,
Number 48, Senator Cameron's (Wisconsin) report, pages
223 to 228, volume 1, and he was the only man who made
the entire circuit of the district and spoke at every adver-
tised place. After the overthrow of the Republican govern-
ment in that State, he returned to Washington and has

332 MEN OF MARK.

attended to his profession ever since. In every campaign
his services have been in active demand, and he has spoken
since 1877 in Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New
Jersey, Ohio and New York.

He was a member of the Republican conference of one
hundred, held in New York City, August 4, 1880, and rep-
resented South Carolina. He has represented that State
in the Union League of America from 1876 to 1879, and is
at present president of the South Carolina Republican as
sociation, Washington, District of Columbia.

This charming talker took an active part in the Republi-
can campaign of 1884, speaking in seven States for Blaine
and Logan. July, 1885, he was appointed secretary of the
Grant Memorial association, in the State of New York,
and October 9, 1885, he was appointed chief examiner of the
municipal civil service of New York City by Mayor Grace.
He now holds both positions, having been re- appointed to
the latter by Mayor Hewitt. Mr. Greener has filled a very
large place in the affairs of this country, and has risen so
fast in the minds of the people that his name is linked with
the names of Douglass and Langston, though a much
younger man than either of them . In Masonic circles he has
been active for the union of the colored Masonic bodies.
He was initiated, passed, and raised, in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, in 1872.

He has served as E. C, Gethsemene Commandery of
Knights Templars, District of Columbia, 1873, and Grand
Commander of the Supreme Council of Ancient Accepted
Scottish Right, 33d degree. South and Western jurisdic-
tion. He was one of the committee of thirty on the inaug-

RICHARD THEODORE GREENER. 335

ural ceremonies of Garfield and Arthur. The title of LL. D
was conferred upon him by the College of Liberia, Mon-
rovia, West Africa, January 13, 1873. We furnish here a
list of the subjects of the many addresses which Dr. Greener
has delivered, and which will in some measure show the
range of his mind as well as the variety of subjects over
which he roamed with such ease. The elegance and charm
of their diction, together with the profound reasoning and
extensive research have made them ever pleasing to those
who have had the good fortune to hear them.

We have briefly portrayed in some feeble way the rise and
progress of Professor Greener, but we cannot do justice to
the brilliant career he has so far had, nor can we predict
how large a place he will yet fill in the affairs of his race.
Though born free, he has met the same difficulties which
others have met who were born slaves, because he was
identified with that downcast and humble race which suf-
fered because of their color and their condition.

Mr. Greener is a gentleman of much literary taste, and
has the knack of getting hold of many relics — some of
great value. Among them may be mentioned ' Banneker's
Almanac,' 1792; fac simile copy of his letter to Thomas
Jefferson, which sold at a recent sale in New York for $18.
'Walker's Appeal,' (Garnet edition) ; an original bill of the
sale of a slave; 'Gregorie's Histo de la litt. des Negres,'
presented to Angelina Grimke by John Rankin ; a copy of
the Freedom's Journal, published in New York City, 1827
—8, the first colored paper in the United States ; very many
rare papers on colonization; ' Negromania, ' by Campbell,.

334 MEN OF MARK.

of Philadelphia ; the list of the original documents for the
abolition of slave-trade, etc.

I append here a list of the subjects of his best orations.
They can be judged from their titles, and show that his
reading has been over a very wide range, and that he has
the taste of an exceedingly high and cultivated mind :

1. " Fifteenth Amendment Celebration," at Troy, New York, April 28,
1870.

2. Celebration of Emancipation in the District of Columbia, April 15.
1873.

3. " Charles Sumner, the Idealist, Statesman and Scholar," an inaug
ural address, University of South Carolina, Columbia, June 24,1874.

4. " The Public Life and Political Writings of John Milton," a lecture
at Charleston, South Carolina. March, 1874.

5. An oration pronounced at the celebration of Saint John the Baptist,
June 24, 1876, at Savannah, Georgia.

6. "The Library of the University of South Carolina, its Rare and
Curious Books," prepared for the American Philological Association,
June 11, 1877.

7 " The Missionary Work of Education among the Colored People of
the South," an address delivered at the dedication of St. Mary's Protest-
ant Episcopal Academy, Baltimore, Maryland, September 17, 1877-

8. "The Great Pyramid, its Age, Builders, and Purpose," a lecture,
Washington, District of Columbia, April 29, 1878.

9. Address at the emancipation celebration, Washington, District oi
Columbia, January 1, 1879: "The Political Condition of the Colored
People of the South."

10. " The Academic Life," an address before the students of the Alpha
Phi Society, Howard University, November 26, 1878.

11. "The Life and Services of William Lloyd Garrison," a eulogy be-
fore the colored citizens of Baltimore, Maryland, June 19, 1879.

12. A Masonic address in honor of the union of the craft in Maryland
and Virginia; Washington, District of Columbia, June 24, 1878.

13. "Socrates as a Teacher," a lecture delivered at Washington, Dis-
trict of Columbia, April 5, 1880.

RICHAR© THEODORE GREENER. 335

14. "The Intellectual Position of the Negro," (a reply to, James Par-
ton), National Quarterly Review (New York City), July, 1880.

15. Decoration Day address before Lincoln Post No. 7, G. A. R., Depart-
ment of Maryland, May 30, 1880.

16 . " The Educational and Industrial Progress of the C olored People, ' '
an address before the citizens of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Musical
Fund hall, January 4, 1881.

17. An address at dedication of Lincoln statue, Prospect Park, Brook-
lyn, New York, at invitation of Devins Post No. 148, G. A. R., Department
of New York, May 30, 1881. ♦

18. Celebration of the fifteenth amendment by the colored citizens oi
Frederick, Maryland, August 24, 1881.

19. An address before the students of the Garnet Literary association,
Lincoln University, Oxford, Pennsylvania, June 6, 1881.

20. "Success, a Duty," at Bethel church, New York City, a lecture,
December 28, 1880.

21. Masonic address at laying of corner-stone of Calvary Baptist
church, Columbia, South Carolina, December 14, 1875.

22. " The Gospel of Work," a lecture before the Progressive Working-
men's club, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, December 1, 1881.

23. " Free Speech in Ireland," address at the Irish Land League, Wash-
ington, District of Columbia, October 28, 1882.

24. "Benjamin Banneker, the Negro Astronomer," a lecture, Wash-
ington, District of Columbia, February 1, 1882.

25. The twentieth anniversary of emancipation in the District of
Columbia, April 17, 1882.

26. "Henry Highland Garnet," a eulogy delivered at Cooper Insti-
tute, New York, at the request of the colored citizens of New York City,
May 10, 1882.

27. " The African Roscius," an essay on Ira Aldridge, the Negro Amer-
ican tragedian, read at the closing exercises of the Monday Night Liter-
ary club, Washington, District of Columbia, June 9, 1882.

28. Address at Tuskegee Normal school, Tuskegee, Alabama, June 29,
1884.

336 MEN OF MARK.

XXXVIII.

CAPTAIN PAUL CUFFEE.

Sea Captain — Wealthy Ship Owner — Petitions to the Massachusetts leg-
islature against "Taxation Without Representation" — Petition
Granted.

IT takes recognized skill for a man to be commander of
a vessel. Ship owners seldom run the risk of ignorant
management, for the$ cannot well afford the losses which
would probably follow such a line of conduct, but in this
case the son of a slave became the captain and owner of
his own vessel. His boldness is, therefore, remarkable, and
yet not so when we remember that he is the son of a
native African on his father's side and of Indian blood on
his mother's side. He inherited, from his father, some
land and other property which was not profitable, but he
determined to make a man of himself, and to that end was
diligent and industrious. He became efficient in mathe-
matics and navigation. His intellect was very vigorous
and the power of concentration was so great that his
knowledge of the latter subject was gained in two weeks,
and with it he commanded Negro crews for many 3'ears.
in his voyages to England, Russia, West Indies, Africa and
the whole coast of North America, especially its eastern

PAUL CUFFEE. 337

coast. He was only fourteen when his father died. He
was born in 1759, in Cutterhunker, one of the Elizabeth
islands, near New Bedford, Massachusetts. At the age of
sixteen he was a deck-hand on a vessel destined to the
Gulf of Mexico; his second voyage was to the West Indies.
On his third voyage he was captured by the British, and
detained in prison in New York three months. At this
time the Revolutionary War was in progress. Paul and
his brother John having been called on to pay personal
taxes by the collector, they both refused to do so. They
were given so much trouble about it, that finally they
agreed, in the language of Oliver Goldsmith, "to stoop to
conquer." They paid the taxes, as it was a trifling sum,
and determined to make an appeal to the Massachusetts
Legislature, believing in the doctrine that they had heard
all of their lives, that there should be "no taxation with-
out representation."

In defiance of the prejudice of the times, their appeal was
heard and a law was enacted by the Legislature rendering
all free persons of color liable to taxation according to the
ratio established for the white men, and, at the same time,
granting to them full privileges that belonged to any
other citizen of Massachusetts.

What a glorious result ! See what a strong man can do
by using that power which he has. Let us emulate his
example. The right of petition is still ours. There are
still many rights denied us which we could get by simply
reaching out our hands to take them. Let the colored
people of that State honor this grand man ; and we trust
that yet some testimonial to his memory shall be reared.

338 MEN OF MARK.

It is with this hope that we have given him a place in this
book. Let no one despise youth. We are so apt to think
that young men are extravagant and indiscreet when they
are bold enough to oppose what might seem, or what is,
"popular opinion." Do right if you stand alone, remem-
bering there are blows to take as well as to give. There
were many colored people at that time who thought these
colored men were fools, and said they were violating the
law because they didn't obey what was an unjust law.
Be discreet and attempt much, if but little be gained. There
is honor even in a righteous effort.

Paul was only about twenty-one years old when he
accomplished this result, scarcely able to vote when the
privilege was granted. He made many trips with his vessel
to Connecticut and traded all along her coast ; sailed as
far as the Banks of St. George, and secured large cargoes of
codfish, opening up an extensive fish trade, which gave
employment to great numbers. In 1797 Paul tried to
establish a school, but the people quarreled over the
location and many other things, and he finally built a
school-house at his own expense on his own grounds, and
allowed everybody to attend that desired, thus establish-
ing a "public school" in Massachusetts. He owned sev-
eral vessels, of 12, 18, 25, 42 and 60 tons burden, respec-
tively- The last one was called the Ranger. He had a
half interest in one of 162 tons burden, and three-fourths
interest in one of 268 ; this was called the Alpha, which
was built in 1806. He had a half interest in one called the
Traveler, of 109 tons burden.

PAUL CUFFEE. 339

A book written by William C. Nell, a colored man, in
1855, gives the following description of Cuffee :

He was tall, well-formed and athletic ; his deportment conciliating yet
dignified and prepossessing; his countenance blending gravity with
modesty and sweetness, and firmness with gentleness and humanity. In
speech and habit, plain and unostentatious. His whole exterior indi-
cated a man of respectability and piety, and such would a stranger have
supposed him to be, at first sight. He was a Quaker in his religious
views. He carefully maintained a strict integrity and uprightness in all his
transactions in trade, believing himself to be accountable to God for the
mode of using and acquiring his possessions. On these grounds he would
not deal in intoxicating liquors or slaves, though he might have done
either without violating the laws of his country, and with great pros-
pects of pecuniary gain.

The ' American Encyclopedia ' has this to say of him :

In the latter part of his life, Cuffee encouraged the emigration of free
people to Sierra Leone. He corresponded with prominent friends of this
enterprise in Great Britain and Africa, and in 1811 visited the colony in
his own vessel to determine for himself its advantages. In 1815 he
carried out to Sierra Leone thirty-eight colored persons as emigrants,
thirty of them at his own expense, and on his arrival furnishing them
with the means of subsistence, spending in this enterprise nearly four
thousand dollars.

This good man terminated his labors and his life ended
in the seventh day of the ninth month, 1817.

340 MEN OF MARK.

XXXIX.
REV ALEXANDER WALTERS.

Financier and Pulpit Orator.

HE is the oldest son of Henry and Harriet Walters.
His birthplace was Bardstown, Nelson count}-,
Kentucky, August 1, 1858. Early in life he showed signs
of piety, and was afterwards heard to say, "I was born
to preach the gospel." This was the constant theme of
his youthful days, and is the business of his present life.
He entered a private school taught by Mrs. Amanda
Hines, at Bardstown, Kentucky, in 1866, where he re-
mained about eighteen months. The following year Mr.
William Lawrence, a more efficient teacher, opened a pay
school, which Alexander entered at once and continued
in it until 1869. This teacher was succeeded by Miss
Addie Miller of Louisville, Kentucky, who, teaching for a
short time was succeeded by Mr Rowan Wickliffe of Lex-
ington, Kentucky Soon after he took charge of the school
he made a proposition to the Methodist and Baptist
churches (they being the only two colored churches in the
town) to teach a young man of each congregation free of
charge. This proposition was accepted by the officers of

ALEXANDER WALTERS.

ALEXANDER WALTERS/ 34-1

«ach congregation, and the officials of the A. M. E. church
chose Alexander Walters, the subject of this sketch. He
remained in this school for two years, and, in the fall of
1870, having professed a hope in Christ, he united with
the A. M. E. Zion church, Bardstown, Kentucky.

In 1871 he left his home for Louisville, Kentucky, and for
two or three years was employed as a waiter in private
families, hotels and on steamboats. In 1876 he went to
Indianapolis, Indiana, and here he began the study of the-
ology under the Rev. D. P Seaton of the A. M. E. church,
and was licensed to preach by Rev Anthony Bunch of the
A. M. E. Zion church, May, 1877

He married Miss Katie Knox of Louisville, Kentucky,
August 28, 1877 Joined the Kentucky annual conference
of the A. M. E. Zion church, at Indianapolis, Indiana,
September 8, 1878, and was sent to the Corydon circuit,
Corydon, Kentucky, by the same conference, and remained
there two years. He taught the public school the last year
of his pastorate, and was ordained deacon at St. Louis,
July 10, 1879. He was then sent to Cloverport circuit,
Cloverport, Kentucky, April 10, 1880, and remained there
sixteen months ; he also taught school at this point during
his stay He was stationed at the 5th Street church,
Louisville, Kentucky, in 1881, and was ordained elder at
Louisville, Kentucky, September 8, 1882. Then he was
transferred to the California conference, and was stationed
at San Francisco, California, in 1883.

The church here was built at a cost of eighty thousand
dollars, and is considered the finest and largest church in
the Zion connection.

342 MEN OF MARK.

Rev. Walters has a fine open face, and by his pen and
upright moral life made his mark — for he has ever been
considered one of the brightest stars of the Zion connection.
He was sent by this church as a delegate to the general
conference of the Zion connection, which met in New York
City, May 3, 1884. He was elected first assistant secre-
tary of the general conference. While east he visited
Washington, D. C, and had an interview with President
Arthur, also Governor Patterson of Pennsylvania. It
was by his aid and influence that Professor J. C. Price,
President of Zion Wesley College was enabled to raise,
while on the Pacific slope, in 1885, eighty-six hundred

dollars.
While West he was made a member of several white

associations (notable among them were a Biblical class,
taught by Professor J. P Ferguson of the Presbyte-
rian church, which was taught daily at the Adelphia
theatre, on California street, near Kearney), the Young
Men's Christian Association, and a class which met every
Saturday for the study of Sabbath school lessons; this
class was taught by Rev M. M. Gibson, D. D. He was
also elected a member of the Executive Board of the Min-
isterial Union, San Francisco, California, being the only
colored member ol the board.

He was transferred to the Tennessee conference in 1886,
and is now stationed in Knoxville, Tennessee, in charge
of one of the finest churches in the South. Elder Walters
bears a spotless reputation, and is honored and loved by
all who know him. He is a close student, an indefatiga-
ble worker for the upbuilding of his race. As an orator,

ALEXANDER WALTERS. 343

he is superior to most of the young men, and even the old
ones in his church. He is affable, kind and gentlemanly,
winning by his elegant manner all those who come in con-
tact with him. His habits of life are plain, his methods
of work practical, and his success is always of the highest
order. His plan has always been in entering a new work,
to secure at once a first-class instructor to help him in his
studies, and thereby he has become familiar with the
classics and the realm of ancient literature. As a histo-
rian, he deals largely in those phrases which lead toward
the cultivation of race-pride, and the demonstration of
those facts and principles which go to encourage enter-
prise and self-pride among his own people. He has won-
derful faith in the future of the race, being by no means
discouraged on account of present difficulties, and pro-
motes with most earnest zeal every effort made in his
church and community that looks toward the ameliora-
tion of the condition of colored people. As a pastor,
revivalist and a church financier, he has had great success.
To such young men the future looks for great things.

3^ MEN OF MARK.

I

XL.
BENJAMIN BANNEKER.

Astronomer— Philosopher— Inventor— Philanthropist.

N the darkness there was light, and the fire of his intel-
lect attracted universal attention to himself and made
for him undying and imperishable fame. This remarkable
genius and devoted son was born in Baltimore county,
Maryland, November 9, 1731, near the village of Ellicott's
Mills. It is thought that his parents were full blooded Afric-
ans, but George W Williams, the historian, says his grand-
mother was a white emigrant who married a Negro whose
freedom she purchased ; and of the four children born to
them, one was a girl who married Robert Banneker, of
whom Benjamin was the only child.

His parents accumulated sufficient means to buv a few
acres and build a small cabin. The son was sent to school
in the neighborhood, where he learned reading, writing and
arithmetic. When Benjamin reached a suitable age he was
compelled to assist his aged parents in their labors, but
every spare moment found him "ciphering" and storing
his mind with useful knowledge. His mother was active
enough to do the work of the house, and when seventy
years old caught her chickens by running them down with-

BENJAMIN BANNEKER. 345

out apparent fatigue. The place of his location was thickly
settled; though he was known as a boy of intelligence, yet
his neighbors took but little notice of him. He was deter-
mined to acquire knowledge, and while his hands worked
hard, his brain was planning and solving problems in
arithmetic. His observation extended to all around him,
and his memory was retentive and he lost nothing. But the
little education he had acquired was all his parents, who
were poor, could give him. Yet little by little he stored it
all up, and in the course of time became superior to most
of his white neighbors, who had more favorable opportuni-
ties and were in better circumstances than he was . His fame
had spread so rapidly that they beganto say to one another :
" That black Ben is a smart fellow. He can make anything
he sets out to ; and how much he knows ! I wonder where
he picked it all up ?"

In 1770 he made a clock which was an excellent time-
piece. He had never seen a clock, as such a thing was un-
known in the region in which he lived, but he had seen a
watch which so attracted his attention that he as-
pired to make something like it. His greatest difficulty
was in making the hour and minute hands correspond in
their motion, but by perseverance he succeeded, though he
had never read the Latin motto, " Perseverentia omnia
vincet," yet he did persevere and succeeded. This was the
first clock ever made in this country, and it excited much
attention, especially because it was made by a Negro. Mr.
Ellicott, the owner of the mills, became very much inter-
ested in the self-taught machinist, and let him have many
books, among which was one on astronomy. This new

346 MEN OF MARK.

supply of knowledge so interested Banneker that he
thought of nothing else. This kind gentleman, who had
allowed him to use his books, for some reason failed to ex-
plain the subject of the books when he gave them to him,
but when he met him again he was surprised to find Ban-
neker independent of all instruction. He had mastered all
the difficult problems contained in them.

From this time the study of astronomy became the great
object of his life. Soon he could calculate when the sun
or moon should be eclipsed, and at what time every star
would rise. In this he was so accurate that mistakes were
never found. In order to pursue his studies he sold his
land his parents had left him and bought an annuity on
which he lived, in the little cabin of his birth. As he was
never seen tilling the soil, his ignorant neighbors began
to abuse him. They called him lazy when they peeped into
his cabin and saw him asleep in the day-time. They were
ignorant of the fact of his watching the stars all night
and ciphering out his calculation. Banneker, instead of
resenting all this bad feeling, endeavored to live in such a
way as to demand their respect. His generous heart made
him always kind and ready to oblige everybody.

A sketch of his life is found in the 'History of the Negro
Race in America,' by the Hon. George W Williams, from
which the following extract is taken :

The following question was propounded by Banneker to Mr. George
Ellicott, and was solved by Benjamin Hollowell of Alexandria:

A cooper and vintner sat down for a talk,
Both being so groggy that neither could walk.
Says cooper co vintner, "lam the first of my trade,

BENJAMIN BANNEKER. 347

There is no kind of vessel but what I have made

And of any shape, sir— just what you will —

And of any size, sir, from a ton to a gill !"

"Then," says the vintner, "you are the man for me;

Make me a vessel, if we can agree.

The top and the bottom diameter define.

To bear that proportion as fifteen to nine ;

Thirty-five inches are just what I crave,

No more and no less, in the depth will I have ;

Just thirty-nine gallons this vessel must hold —

Then I will reward you with silver and gold —

Give me your promise, my honest old friend ?"

" I'll make it tomorrow, that you may depend !"

So the next day the cooper, his work to discharge,

Soon made a new vessel, but made it too large ;

He took out some staves, which made it too small,

And then cursed the vessel, the vintner and all.

He beat on his breast ; " By the powers," he swore,

He never would work at his trade any more !

Now my worthy friend, find out if you can,

The vessel's dimensions and comfort the man.

(Signed) Benjamin Banneker.

The answer to this question is as follows : The greater
diameter of Banneker 's tub must be 24.746 inches, and the
lesser diameter 14.8476 inches.

In 1792, though limited in means and scanty education,
he prepared an excellent almanac, which was published by
Goddard & Angell of Baltimore. In the preface they ex-
pressed themselves as highly gratified with the opportu-
nity of presenting to the public such an extraordinary
effort of genius calculated by a sable son of Africa. This
was the first almanac ever published in this country. Be-
sides astronomical calculations, it contained much useful
knowledge of a general nature and interesting selections of

348 MEX OF MARK.

prose and verse. Professor R. T Greener owns a copy of
this almanac. Banneker sent a manuscript copy in his own
handwriting to Thomas Jefferson, then secretary of state
and afterwards President of the United States. In address-
ing him he said :

Those of my complexion have long been considered rather brutish than
human — scarcely capable of mental endowments. But, in consequence of
the reports that have reached me, I hope I may safely admit that you
are measurably friendly and well disposed toward us. I trust that you
will agree with me in thinking that one universal Father hath given
being to us all ; that he has not only made us all of one flesh, but has
also, without partiality, afforded us all the same sensations and endowed
us all with the same faculties ; and that, however various we may be in
society or religion, however diversified in situation or color, we are all of
the same family and all stand in the same relation to Him. Now, sir, if
this is founded in truth, I apprehend you will readily embrace every op-
portunity to eradicate the absurd and false ideas and opinions which so
generally prevail with respect to us.

Suffer me, sir, to recall to your mind that when the tyranny of the
British crown was exerted to reduce you to servitude, your abhorrence
thereof was so excited that you publicly held forth this true and invalua-
ble doctrine, worthy to be recorded and remembered in all succeeding
ages: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are
created equal, and that they are endowed by their Creator with certain
inalienable rights ; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of
happiness."

Your tender feelings for yourselves engaged you thus to declare. You
were then impressed with proper ideas of the great value of liberty, and
the free possession of those blessings to which you are entitled by na-
ture. But, sir, how pitiable it is to reflect that, although you aresofullv
convinced of the benevolence of the Father of mankind, and of his equal
and impartial distribution of those rights and privileges which He had
conferred upon them, that you should at the same time counteract His
mercies in detaining, by fraud and violence, so numerous a part of niv
brethren under groaning captivity and cruel oppression ; that you should

BENJAMIN BANNEKER. 349

at the same time be found guilty of that most criminal act which you
detested in others with respect to yourselves.

Sir, I freely and most cheerfully acknowledge that I am of the African
race ; and in that color which is natural to them I am of the deepest dye.
But, with a sense of the most profound gratitude to the Supreme Ruler
of the universe, I confess that I am not under that state of tyrannical
thraldom and inhuman captivity to which so many of my brethren are
doomed. I have abundantly tasted of those blessings which proceed
from that free and unequaled liberty with which you are favored.

Sir, I suppose your knowledge of the situation of my brethren is too
extensive for it to need a recital here. Neither shall I presume to pre-
scribe methods by which they may be relieved, otherwise than by recom-
mending to you and others to wean yourselves from those narrow
prejudices you have imbibed with respect to them, and to do as Job pro-
posed to his friends — "put your souls in their souls' stead." Thus shall
your hearts be enlarged with kindness and benevolence toward them,
and you will need neither the direction of myself or others in what man-
ner to proceed.

I took up my pen to direct to you, as a present, a copy of an Almanac
I have calculated for the succeeding year. I ardently hope that your
candor and generosity will plead with you in my behalf. Sympathy
and affection for my brethren has caused my enlargement thus far; it
was not originally my design.

The Almanac is a production of my arduous study. I have long had
unbounded desires to become acquainted with the secrets of nature, and
I have had to gratify my curiousity herein through my own assiduous
application to astronomical study, in which I need not recount to you
the many difficulties and disadvantages I have had to encounter. I con-
clude by subscribing myself, with the most profound respect, your most
humble servant,

B. Banneker.

To this letter Jefferson made the following reply :

Sii , I thank you sincerely for your letter, and for the Almanac it con-
tained. Nobody wishes more than I do to see such proofs as you exhibit
that nature has given to our black brethren talents equal to those of
the other colors of men, and that the appearance of a want of them is

350 MEN OF MARK.

owing only to the degraded condition of their existence both in Africa
and America. I can add, with truth, that no one wishes more ardently
to see a good system commenced for raising the condition, both of their
body and mind, to what it ought be, as fast as the imbecility of their
present existence, and other circumstances which cannot be neglected,
will admit. I have taken the liberty of sending your Almanac to Mon-
sieur Condorcet, Secretary of the Academy of Sciences at Paris, and to
members of the Philanthropic Society, because I considered it a docu-
ment to which your whole color had a right, for their justification
against the doubts which have been entertained of them. I am, with
great esteem, sir, your most obedient servant,

Thomas Jefferson.

In 1803 Mr. Jefferson invited the astronomer to visit
him at Monticello, but the increasing infirmities of
age made it imprudent to undertake the journey. His
almanacs sold well for ten years, and the income, added
to his annuity, gave him a very comfortable support;
and, what was a still greater satisfaction to him, was
the consciousness of doing something to help the cause
of his oppressed people by proving to the world that
nature had endowed them with good capacities.

After 1802 he found himself too old to calculate any
more almanacs, but as long as he lived he continued to be
deeply interested in his various studies.

He died in 1804, in his seventy-second year; his remains
were buried near the dwelling that he had occupied during
his life. His mode of life was regular and retired. He was
kind and generous to all around him ; his head was cov-
ered with thick white hair, which gave him a venerable
appearance ; his dress was uniformly superfine drab broad-
cloth, made in the old, plain style, coat with straight
collar, a long waist and a broad-brimmed hat. His color

BENJAMIN BANNEKER. 351

was not quite black, but decidedly Negro. In his personal
appearance he is said to have borne a striking resemblance
to the statue of Benjamin Franklin, at the library at
Philadelphia.

Banneker's abilities have often been brought forward as
an argument against the enslavement of his race, and ever
since he has been quoted as a proof of the mental capacity
of Africans. Surely the smoldering embers of the latent
fires of their ancient greatness was awakened in him, and
the thousands of camp-fires of an intellectual revival can
be seen now on the highest hilltop, climbing the moun-
tains, at its base, down the valley and in its darkest
shade.

352 MEN OF MARK.

o

XLT.
REV RICHARD DeBAPTISTE, D. D.

Corresponding Secretary and Beloved Disciple.

NE of the humblest and most devoted Christians

I ever knew is Rev R. DeBaptiste. A very unosten-
tatious servant of God is the man of whom I now write.
Many have enjoyed the sunshine of his life and yet failed
to recognize the cause of their growth and prosperity.
Personally, I can bear testimony to his interest in young
men, and his fatherly, tender advice to even the "stranger
within his gate." Of Old Virginia's sons, none have given
to the West a better life of honest toil for the people
than he. Fredericksburg may well be proud of him. He
was born November 11, 1831. William and Eliza DeBap-
tiste sought to educate their children, and though they
had many difficulties to encounter, they nevertheless suc-
ceeded in giving them a fair education, in the State of Vir-
ginia, under the regime of slavery The father made his
own residence a school-house, his own children and a few
of those oi his relatives were pupils, first taught by a col-
ored man and then by an educated Scotch-Irishman, who
had been a teacher in Scotland, the police officers often

R. DeBAPTISTE.

RICHARD DEBAPTISTE. 353

watching the premises to detect some incidents leading to
evidence that a Negro school was being conducted there.
Fines and imprisonment would have followed the dis-
covery. Mr DeBaptiste was ordained to the ministry in
the Baptist denomination at Mount Pleasant, Ohio, by a
council called by the Union Baptist church, Cincinnati,
Ohio, of the First and Ninth streets white churches, and
the Union and Zion colored churches of Cincinnati, and
the church at Lockland were represented in the council.
He taught, the public schools for colored youth and chil-
dren of Springfield township, at Mount Pleasant, three
years. He organized and pastored the colored Baptist
church at this place from 1860 to 1863; baptized twelve
converts as constituent members, took pastoral charge of
Olivet Baptist church, Chicago, August, 1863 ; held it
continuously till February, 1882. In the meanwhile, pur-
chasing two building sites at a cost of $16,000, built two
church edifices, both brick, with a seating capacity, the
one of 800 and the other of 1200, costing respectively, $15-
Q00 and $18,000. Received over seventeen hundred persons
to membership — about forty-eight per cent, by baptism.
The net increase for the first five years averaged one hun-
dred per year, and over fifty per cent, of that number Xsy
baptism. He was elected corresponding secretary of the
Wood River association in 1864; has held it ever since,
being re-elected every year, though absent at three or four
sessions. He was also elected recording secretary of the
Northwestern and Southern Baptist convention at its or-
ganization in St. Louis in 1865; was elected corresponding
secretary at the annual meeting, 1866. He was elected

354 MEN OF MARK.

president of the consolidated American Baptist Missionary
convention at its first meeting, held in Nashville, Tennes-
see ; was re-elected every year successively for four years.
At Wilmington, North Carolina, in 1870, he was not pres-
ent, but was, nevertheless, re-elected. In 1871, being
absent from the meeting at Brooklyn, New York, he was
not re-elected. In 1872 was again elected president and
held the office b}r re-election at every meeting till 1877 at
Richmond, Virginia, and was then elected corresponding
secretary of the Foreign Mission department of this work,
continued in that office until the meeting in Cincinnati,
1879, but it was no longer a consolidation.

In 1870 he was elected president of the Baptist Free
Mission societ}- (white) at its anniversary meeting in Cin-
cinnati, Ohio, and corresponding secretary of the American
Baptist National convention, which met August 25 to
29, in St. Louis, Missouri, at which time he read a paper
of the greatest importance to the denomination. The
American Baptist Publication Society of Philadelphia, in
its annual year book, has hitherto enumerated only
eight hundred thousand colored Baptists for the United
States, but it was left for Richard DeBaptiste to give the
larger final results. It will not be out of place to give here
the remarkable statistics which he furnished, though, of
course, much condensed : "Three hundred and eleven asso-
ciations, 9,097 churches in 255 associations, ordained
ministers 4,590 in 218 associations, with a total member-
ship of 1,071,902 colored Baptists," without any baptisms
having been gathered for that year from the States of
West Virginia, New York, California, Colorado, Delaware,

RICHARD DEBAPTKTE. 355

Maryland, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Jersey, Pennsyl-
vania, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Ala-
bama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South
Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.

During his lifetime he has been a frequent contributot
both to religious and secular journals, white and colored,
and held the position of editor of one secular and one religi-
ous journal, and corresponding editor of two others. He
held the first position conjointly with Rev. G. C. Booth,
on the Conservator of Chicago, for a year or nearly that,
time, the second or third year after it started, and on the
Western Herald from September, 1884, to December, 1885.
He was corresponding editor of the Monitor, a short-lived
paper started by the Rev H. H. White of St. Louis, Mis-
souri, and for several years on the National Monitor of
Brooklyn, New York, Rev. R. L. Perry, editor.

Having had only an English education in his youth, he
has not failed to take advantage of the opportunities pre-
sented him for a thorough knowledge in the many branches
of learning. He attended school about three years after
removing from Virginia to Michigan, receiving in this
school only instruction in English branches. The first
teacher he had was Richard Dillingham, a Quaker, who
was afterwards apprehended for helping several families to
escape from slavery. He received such rough and cruel
treatment that he died from the effects of it in prison, at
Nashville, Tennessee. His second teacher was Rev. Samuel
H. Davis, the pastor of the Second Baptist church of
Detroit. In this city he also studied German, French,
Latin, Greek and theology. He attended the lectures at

356 MEN OF MARK.

the University of Chicago during the first two years, at
what is now known as the Morgan Park Theological
Seminary He was married in the fall of 1855 to Miss
Georgiana Brische of Cincinnati, Ohio, who died Novem-
ber 2, 1872. He was married again August, 1885, and
this wife died April, 1886. He has three children, two of
them members of the church and very proficient in music.
None of them are very healthy, which has caused him much
grief and sorrow; "truly he is a man afflidled with sorrows
and acquainted with grief."

This man has devoted his life to the ministry In a
private letter to the author he once said :

Beginning my manhood in a mercantile business, I had a fair prospect of
success, carrrying on the business of bricklayer and plasterer's trade.
This mode of living I inherited from my father and uncles, William and
Edward DeBaptiste, they being in their days the largest contractors and
builders of the city of Fredericksburg, Virginia, and the surrounding
country; but I unreservedly gave up all my worldly prospects and
projects in obedience to the call of my Master to enter his vineyard, to
" occup}- till becomes." He has said: " He that forsaketh homes, lands,
brothers and sisters for my sake and the gospel's, shall have homes,
lands, brothers and sisters."

With very little worldly goods he is still cheerful and
willing to spend and be spent for the Master's cause.
At this writing he is pastor of a small church, declining
many larger fields that he might secure a home and better
prospects for the future of his children. It might be well
to say that Mr. DeBaptiste comes of a historic family.
There has been a representative of his family in each of the
great wars of this country. His grandfather, John De-
Baptiste, was in the Revolutionary war ; his uncle George,

RICHARD DEBAPTISTE. 357

in the War of 1812 ; and two brothers, George and Ben-
jamin, in the War of the Rebellion.

The Rev. R. DeBaptiste is a man of whom the denomina-
tion is proud, and the State University, Louisville, Ken-
tucky, recognizing his great services to the cause of
Christ, as well as his many gifts and attainments, con-
ferred on him the degree of Doctor of Divinity, May 17,
1887, an honor he will wear with dignity.

The name of Richard DeBaptiste will always linger in
the memory of those who know him as a man of Chester-
fieldian manners and rare attainments in literary affairs,
and a man "full of the Hcly Ghost."

358

MEN OF MARK.

XLII.

HON. GEORGE FRENCH ECTON.

Representative from the Third Senatorial District, Chicago. Cook
County, Illinois — From the Plowhandles to the Legislature — From
the Capacity of a Waiter to that of a Legislator.

IN presenting this sketch we have given some of the
events which have taken place in the life of the Illinois
colored Legislator Hjs position, from that of slave to
public office holder, was not attained by a single jump,
but by a series of repeated struggles and endeavors to
remove hindering causes to become a respected man and
public-spirited citizen. He first saw the rays of light at
Winchester, Clark county, Kentucky, in 1846, and is the
eldest of three living children. His father's name was
Antonio Ecton, and his mother's, Martha George. His
childhood and youth were spent in slavery When yet a
mere babe he was sent with other boys of his age, and
older, to weed the crops. As he grew older he became a
full hand at the plow and any other laborious tasks he
was called upon to do. No matter what his occupation,
he prided himself on doing whatever he did well, and
herein lies his success. At the age of fifteen or sixteen the
war came and his native State was soon made a thor-

GEORGE FRENCH ECTON. 359

oughfare for the contending armies. At the -close of the
war, about June, 1865, George and a friend determined to
"make way for liberty," having received a set of "free
papers," written for them by a white Abolitionist, which
even at that late date were necessary to every traveling
Negro to insure recognition of freedom, as slaves in Ken-
tucky were not liberated until some months after the
Emancipation Proclamation. With the amount of thirty
or forty dollars which they had saved up, they started.
The nearest railroad station being Paris, Kentucky, they
reached it after walking nearly the entire distance of
eighteen miles. The sight of a steam car was novel to
them, and their astonishment can well be imagined. They
boarded a train bound for Cincinnati Ohio, and here found
their "free papers" necessary, as on entering a car the
white passengers demanded a sight of their passes. Arriv
ing at their destination they were taken as deck hands on
the steam packet Sherman, plying in the pig-irqn and salt
trade between that port and Wheeling, West Virginia.
George left this work after one trip, and on the return of
the packet to Cincinnati he found employment at the old
Broadway House, where he worked and saved one hun-
dred dollars. He afterwards worked at the "Walnut
Street House," the "Burnett House," and the "Spencer
House." While at the "Walnut Street House" he became
a victim to small-pox. He speedily recovered, however,
owing to kindness from one of his nurses. On returning
to work he began to attend night school, taught by Miss
Luella Brown, who teaches at present on the suburbs of
Cincinnati. He made rapid progress, and what learning

360 MEN OF MARK.

he acquired he has been adding to ever since. On leaving
Cincinnati, October 28, 1873, he went to Chicago and
took charge of a dining room at the "Hotel Woodruff,"
where he remained up to his nomination and election to a
seat in the Thirty-fifth General Assembly As a legislator
he will reflect credit upon his constituency Mr. Ecton is
no orator, but as a good listener, intelligent voter and
close student he has few to surpass him. By strict appli-
cation to business and economy that marked his earlier
days, he has saved sufficient to purchase property worth
ten thousand dollars. He wedded Miss Patti R. Allen of
Winchester, Kentucky Their union is childless, but their
home is thronged by a brilliant set of intelligent people, and
both he and his wife take a great interest in passing
events. He is a member of Bethesda Baptist church, and
is identified with the Prudence Crandall Club, and has
taken "master " degree in masonry If his word be given,
he can be relied upon to do as he sa\-s. He will win for
himself the credit in the Legislature that he has hitherto
won.

N. H. ENSLEY.

NEWELL HOUSTON ENSLEY. 361

XLIII.

PROFESSOR NEWELL HOUSTON ENSLEY, A. M.

Professor of Rhetoric and Sciences — Hebraist — Musician.

ONE of the bright lights that beamed forth from the
State of Tennessee and first shed its rays into a little
Negro cabin in Nashville, August 23, 1852, was when a
son was born to George arid Clara Ensley.

The chains of slavery held this child, and although its
grasp was not so painful as in many cases, yet he was a
victim to its cruelty. His maternal grandsire was his
master, and he desired his slaves to read and write, and at
one time he purchased books and employed a man to teach
the slave children to read.

Mr. Ensley does not remember when he could not read
the Bible, and both his parents were good readers. When
he was old enough he became body servant and buggy
boy for the reserved, dignified old man, with snow white
locks, who owned him. To Mr. Ensley it was always a
a problem how he could be a grandchild with his white
playmates, who too were grandchildren of the same old
man, and be treated so differently, and why he must say
"Old Mass" while his mates said lovingly "grandpa."
Notwithstanding all this, Mr. Ensley was treated remark-

362 MEN OF MARK.

ably well for a slave lad, and often was he commended for
his capabilities. On one occasion he was ordered to water
his master's cows in the pasture till noon. This command
he disobeyed and for his disobedience his master attempted
to whip him, but he ran away to the Yankee camps hard
by, and remained hidden under empty cracker boxes for
some time until the old man had abandoned the search.
He remained in camp until the division moved away to
Murfreesboro and advised him to return home to his.
mother.

He went home secretly and hid in his mother's room
under the "bed, where his master found him and gave him
the whipping he had escaped so long, and exacted from
•him the promise never to run away again. His master
owned large estates, and to this lad was given the respon-
sibility of collecting rents and depositing the same in the
bank . Thus Mr. Ensley worked on as a slave until the South-
ern cause was lost. Then he continued in the employ of
the same old gentleman, who paid the young man and all
his slaves for the service rendered him ; besides, he gave to
each of his men employees two fine young mules and a cow
and a calf. The cow and calf were taken home, and the
mules left on the plantation. Soon the old man died and
his estate went to his son, and the Negroes who had been
in his employ were left poor. Mr. Ensley attributes his
fame now and all he is to his devoted Christian mother,
whom his grandsire had settled on an excellent estate of
thirty acres and left comfortably fixed. This was in 1866.
At this time the free schools opened about four miles from
Mr. Ensley 's home, and a happy day it was for this lad,

NEWELL HOUSTON ENSLEY. 363

who now had a slight opportunity to slake his insatiable
thirst for learning; but this was for a short time only. His
mother married and his step-father would not let him at-
tend school and live at home. Because young Ensley went
to school one day against his step-father's will, he was
sent from home, notwithstanding the tears and pleadings
of a loving mother. After he left, his mother sought and
brought him home, where he was obliged, to work for this
new master and go to school with his permit when he had
nothing else to do.

"Notwithstanding all this," said Mr. Ensley, "I worked
and studied, and not only kept up with my classes but
ahead of them." Benjamin Holmes, one of the original
famous jubilee singers, was his teacher, and, when he
resigned to go on his mission of song, Mr. Ensley was
installed as his successor. But the labors as teacher,
where only yesterday he was a pupil, were hard. The
children left school, and only by indefatigable labor in the
Sunday school and day school did he succeed, but the
success was indeed a victory wonderful and worthy of
note. The day school grew to its former size, and the
Sunday school never was so large before. Soon Mr.
Ensley professed a hope in Jesus, and was baptized and
joined the church, where he was made deacon, which posi-
tion he held for several years. Although in earlier years
he had felt called to the ministry, he feared he might be
mistaken, but his doubts were not confirmed by the words
of a good brother who now dwells above. This brother
laid the matter before the brethren, and the church sent a
committee to tell him that he ought to preach. Mr.

364 MEN OF MARK.

Ensley felt the need of preparation, and in February, 1871,
entered Roger Williams University, under the guardian
ship of that venerable man, Dr Phillips, where, with his
usual application, he toiled and toiled until he was almost
a phj-sical wreck and his future was less bright. Quite to
his surprise he learned that his church had licensed him to
preach. Mr. Ensley was filled with ambition and a burn'
ing desire to be a man worthy of the love of God and the
respect of his fellowmen.

Music had a charm for him and he had devoted much
time to this art. He always had a love for oratory, and,
though he has never given himself to this, yet he has been
verv successful in his many lectures throughout the country,
where the music of his voice and his graphic style have held
audiences spell-bound. Many letters of appreciation are
in his possession from friends and hearers who have
listened to his instructive words. With Dr. Phillips he
made his first tour to the North, where he, with this good
man, represented the work in the Home Mission schools,
and in that visit the centennial at Philadelphia attracted
his attention. In June, 1878, he graduated from Roger
Williams University, third in his class, and immediately
went North, where he entered Newton Theological Semin-
ary, Newton Centre, Massachusetts. After three years,
toil he graduated, one of the favored seven from a large
class to give an oration graduation day, and he was the
only colored one. After graduating, Mr. Ensley was
offered many situations and the chosen one was Raleigh,
North Carolina, where he was professor of theology and
Latin.

NEWELL HOUSTON ENSLEY. 365

After a year he went to Howard University, at a salary
of one thousand dollars, where he enjoyed his work very
much. At this time he was married to an estimable and
most accomplished young woman, who has supported him
in every work to which he has devoted his time. Alcorn
University now called him, and there he and his family
removed, and to him was assigned the honorable position
of professor of rhetoric, natural sciences and vocal music.
This young man is a scholarly Hebrew student, and has a
brilliant future before him, and well may the race be proud
of Newell Houston Ensley.

The professor is a man of many fine traits of character.
His manners are polished, his whole demeanor dignified
and courtly, and his conversation witty, even brilliant.
In his lectures he does not follow old stereotyped phrases
nor hackneyed expressions, but his humor bubbles up like
a pure rill at the foot of a mountain. His voice is musical,
his gestures graceful and his whole appearance captivating.
An audience is at once taken with his earnestness, breadth
and depth of thought, the extended reach after truth, and
the skilful presentation of his facts and arguments.
Among the themes he delights to dwell upon are "Tous-
saint L'Ouverture," "Pluck versus Luck," "The Rights of
Women," "Temperance" and "The Rights of the Negro."
In his advocacy of women, he insists that they are entitled
to "Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness," and he
would brush away every custom and barrier that prevents
the gaining of these objects. In this I certainly agree
with him. Yet he is very cautious that he does not appear
ridiculous, but advances solid argument for all he claims

366 MEN OF MARK.

for them. In this respect he is at once progressive and
aggressive, for this is a subject that is gaining more and
more attention — while it has its antagonists even among
women.

The professor has a funny wajr of putting some things,
and so I end this sketch with an extract from a speech
made in St. Albans, Vermont, in 1880. It has an amusing
turn which for quaintness and point rather causes a smile
when read.

"the benefit of the negro's color."

He denied the statement that the Negroes were not an original race;
they were largely imitative, he admitted, but there were three of the
white men's vices which his people did not imitate — they were not skep-
tics, they were not infidels, and they did not commit suicide. Then he
quoted a certain bit of philosophy, illustrating the advantages the race
had on this question of suicide, namely : White reflects light, and there-
fore the face of the white man reflects the light, and he goes through life
a melancholy creature; while the face of the black man absorbs light,
which penetrates to his soul and makes him a glad, careless, jolly crea-
ture. Just here Mr. Ensley applied this same bit of philosophy to Whit-
taker, the West Point cadet. Now Whittaker, says the speaker, is three
parts white and two parts black ; if he had been a black man, he would
never have injured himself— as the court, you remember, decided that he
did mutilate himself; if he had been a white man, he would have hung
himself; but as he was neither white nor black, why he hurt himself just
a little.

The professor aspires to the poet's chair, and communes
occasionally with the muses. I give here a short poem,
simply to show the trend of his mind. It was written for
the Roger Williams' Record, April, 1886.

NEWELL HOUSTON ENSLEY. 367

WRITE THY NAME.

Write your name upon the sand,

The waves will wash it out again.

Trace it on the crystal foam,

No sooner is it writ than gone.

Carve it in the solid oak,

'Tis shattered by the lightning's stroke.

Chisel it in marble deep,

'Twill crumble down — it cannot keep.

Seeker for the sweets of fame,
On things so frail, write not thy name.
With thee 'twill wither, die, rot ;
On things so frail, then, write it not.
Would'st thou have thy name endure?
Go, write it in the Book of Life,
Engrive it on the hearts of men,
By humble deeds performed in love.

368 MEN OF MARK.

R

XLIV
REV CHRISTOPHER H. PAYNE.

Preacher — Editor and Soliciting Agent.

EV CHRISTOPHER H. PAYNE was born near the

Red Sulphur Springs, Monroe county, Virginia, now
West Virginia, September 7, 1848. His parents were free.
His father was free-born, and his mother, who had been
brought up a slave, was set free by her old master, James
Ellison. After her freedom she was married to Thomas
Payne. These two persons were among the first colored
people who were lawfully married in the county of Monroe.
The subject of this sketch was the only child born to their
union. When he was very young his father went to Bal-
timore, Maryland, with a drove of cattle, caught the small-
pox and died, leaving his wife a widow, and his little son
fatherless. Mrs. Payne finding herself alone in the world,
with none to comfort her but her aged mother and her in-
fant son, decided to devote her entire time to the rearing
and training of the boy who was the idol of her life. Hav-
ing received the rudiments of an English education at the
hands of her old master, who is supposed to have been her
father, she set about teaching the little boy, and so zealous

CHRISTOPHER H. PAYNE. 369

was she in her work that he does not remember wlien he
could first read. When he was quite young the war began,
and because he was a free Negro, and his mother having
no protection, she had to see the little child go into the
army as a servant. Here he remained, except when at home
on a pass, until 1864, when he left the service and went
down on New river, in the southern part of Monroe county
(now Summers county), and obtained employment from a
Mr. Vincent Swinney, where he remained until the Confed-
eracy was broken up by the victorious armies of the
United States.

It was at this place he made the acquaintance of Miss
Ann Hargro, whom he married while yet a mere boy This
union has been a very peaceful one. In 1866 he left home
and walked through the mountains to Charleston, on the
Kanawha river, where he took a steamboat and went to
Ohio and spent some time traveling in that State and in
the State of Kentucky. Finally he returned to Charleston
and he remained for more than a year, working in the
day and attending school at night. After an absence of
about fifteen months he returned to his home and began
teaching in Monroe, Mercer and Sumner counties in the
winter, and farming in the summer. In 1875 he was con-
verted and baptized in Indian creek, near where he was
born, on the fourteenth of October, by Rev. G. W Des-
kins. On the twenty-second of February, 1876, he was
licensed to preach the gospel, and on the twenty-ninth of
May, 1877, after a very rigid examination, he was ordained
to the full work of the gospel ministry by a council com-

370 MEN OF MARK.

posed of five of the most intelligent and influential brethren
who belonged to the Greenbrier association.

In September, 1877, he entered the Richmond Institute
in Richmond, Virginia, and began a course of study Pass-
ing the examinations in many of the primary studies, he
entered the senior class in the Preparatory Department,
and pursued his studies with such energy and success that
he soon gained the confidence and respect of all his teachers
and fellow students. At the close of the session, in the
spring of 1878, he went back to his field of labor in West
Virginia, and found the Baptist cause in such a bad condi-
tion that he remained out of school, working, preaching,
and organizing churches and Sunday schools until the fall
of 1880, when he returned to school at Richmond, Virginia,
and remained three years. Soon after entering school he
accepted a call to the Moore Street. Baptist church, and
preached Sunday, after doing his class work all the week.
Notwithstanding this double work, he maintained a very
respectable standing in all his classes, and succeeded in
giving satisfaction to his congregation, which steadily in-
creased during the entire time of his pastorate.

He is regarded as possibly the best preacher the school
ever turned out. He is a fine speaker, pointed and logical ;
possessing a fine, flow of language, he never fails to im-
press his hearers favorably. He was appointed by the
American Baptist Publication Society of Philadelphia as
Sunday school missionary for the Eastern district of
Virginia, and after his graduation he attended the anni-
versaries of the denomination, which were held in May,
1883, at Saratoga Springs, New York, and there delivered

CHRISTOPHER H. PAYNE. 371

and address before the Publication Society which was
highly praised by many of the leading journals of the
land, both religious and secular. As soon as the meeting
closed, he returned to Virginia and entered upon his work.
His district embraced all the largest cities in the State,
and the most densely populated counties, and for nine
months he labored most earnestly among the people,
preaching, lecturing and delivering Sunday school ad-
dresses, organizing Sunday schools and Sunday school
unions, until from Staunton to Norfolk, and from Alexan-
dria to Danville, Sunday schools, churches, associations
and individuals became familiar with his labor and suc-
cess. Many persons were led to Christ by his efforts, but
in January, 1884, on account of failing health, caused by
overwork, he tendered his resignation to the society which
was accepted to take effect the first of March. After
winding up his affairs with the society he returned to his
native State, West Virginia, and in April, 1884, took
charge of the First Baptist church of Coal Valley. Since
he has become pastor, the church has added about one
hundred to its membership, and is now one of the most
prosperous in the State. It was chiefly through his efforts
that the West Virginia Baptist State convention was
organized, and he was made its first president. For many
years he was moderator of the only association of the
State. He has been among the principal leaders of all the
work of the denominaton in the State. He was one of the
founders of the West Virginia Enterprise, the only weekly
newspaper published by colored men in the State. Hr
conceived a plan last year for putting on foot a school c

372 MEN OF MARK.

higher grade in the State with an industrial department
attached ; and now his energy is being bent in that direc-
tion, having been appointed by the Executive Board of
the West Virginia Baptist State convention, correspond-
ing secretary and agent. The work of raising means,
securing the property and starting the school rests largely
upon him, so that he is now preacher, editor and soliciting
agent.

About five hundred persons have been con verted through
his efforts, about three hundred of whom he has baptized.
Nine churches and two Sunday schools have been organ-
ized by. him, and in his eleven years of ministerial labors
he has preached more than fifteen hundred sermons, deliv-
ered more than five hundred lectures and addresses, and
during all his struggles and labors he has come out more
than conqueror. His noble wife has stood by him in
every effort, and by her energy, pluck and discretion, ren-
dered him such aid as only a true wife can.

He feels a deep sense of gratitude towards Rev C. H.
Corey, D. D., president of the Richmond Institute, and
Charles J Pickford of Lynn, Massachusetts, and many
others for aid and encouragement given him in times of
his great need and severe struggles. For it was indeed a
struggle for a man to spend four years in school, with a
wife and five children, an aged mother and grandmother
dependent upon him, and as he now expresses it, God
alone led and raised him up to do the great work and has
at the same time raised up the means whereby he could
accomplish it. Difficulties only brightened him, and with

CHRISTOPHER H. PAYNE. 373

a strong hold on the affections of the people much more
may be expected of him.

His virtues are many and can never be forgotten, and
his word is his bond. He is a vigorous and pointed writer,
as is evidenced by his efforts through the paper. His ag-
gressiveness is in the right direction and in behalf of his
race and denomination.

374 MEN OF MARK.

XLV

PROFESSOR PETER HUMPHRIES CLARK, A. M.

Educator — Editor and Agitator.

FEW men are better known than Professor Peter H.
Clark, who began life March, 1829. He has accom-
plished very much in his career, and is a real student, with
vigorous intellect and constitutionally well prepared for a
great amount of mental labor. Until 1844 Cincinnati
furnished him a very poor chance for education, but Rev.
Hiram S. Gilmore opened a high school this year and he
entered as one of the pupils. By the correctness of his
habits, industry in his lessons and faithfulness in all
things, he was given an assistant's place in the school, and
at the same time he continued his own studies in the
highest branches. Leaving school in 184-8, he refused to
take emploj'ment with his father, who was a barber,
because it would make him move around at the dictates
of every class of white men. He apprenticed himself to a
liberal artisan, Thomas Varney, to learn stereotyping. It
was strange at this day that a white man should take a
colored boy, but Mr Clark gives some prominent reasons
for this line of conduct : First, he advanced two hundred

PETER HUMPHRIES CLARK. 375

dollars to Mr. Varney to assist him in his -business;
second, Mr. Varney's wife was a correspondent of the
New York Tribune, and they were both naturally affected
with the spirit of that paper, which Horace Greeley edited
with so much ability; and in the same building was
Stanley Matthews, who was editor of the Herald, a Free-,
soil paper Just about the time Mr. Clark was able to do
the work of a stereotyper, his employer sold out and went
to California, and his successor in the business had no use
for a colored man. In 1849 the Ohio Legislature passed a
law allowing the colored people to organize schools and
control them, which they did. Mr. Clark was employed
as teacher. After three months the Council refused to pay
him on the ground that the colored people, not being
citizens and voters, could not be trustees, and their em.
ploying teachers was not legal. After a contest in the
lower courts, the Supreme Court declared the law sound
and the colored trustees were sustained. He was work-
ing in the barber shop when he was examined and
appointed as a teacher. After his father died he had
charge of the shop. He quarrelled one day with a white
customer who wanted him to introduce him (the white
man) to colored ladies at a fait. The white man being
refused, declared he would not shave with him any more
as he shaved "niggers." This shows that he was then run
ning a civil rights barber shop. Mr. Clark threw the cup
on the floor in rage and disgust, and declared he would never
shave another white man, and, if he did, he would cut his
throat.
In 1850 he started for Africa, disgusted as he was by the

376 MEN OF MARK.

bitter prejudice of the times. But he never went any further
than New Orleans. He returned to Cincinnati in a short time
and in 1852 took an active part in the State convention in
which the "emigration movement "was discussed. He ad-
vocated that America was the home of those who were
born here. In 1853 we find him secretary of the National
convention of colored men, held in Rochester, New York.
The same year he had trouble with the school board,
which now had no colored men on it. They charged that
he commented on the scriptures contrary to law, because
h^ selected different passages in reading the morning
lessons. Mr. Clark is Unitarian in his religious convic-
tions, and has been for many years. He has often been
misunderstood as to his religious views, and it mav be
because manv do not understand the Unitarian religion.
The advocates of Unitarianism hold that each individual
is responsible to God for the opinions which he entertains,
and that where there is responsibility there must of necessity
be perfect freedom of thinking and acting. Neither primi-
tive fathers nor ecclesiastic councils, nor synods, nor estab-
lished creeds possess any absolute authority for them.
They hold to the absolute unity of the Supreme Being,
thus necessarily denying the doctrine of the trinity or three
persons in one God. They teach that Christ was the first
and greatest of all created beings ; that he was the wisest
and best personage who ever existed on the earth ; that His
mission was divine, being what He Himself declared it to
be, sent by God "to bear witness to the truth;" that the
Holy Spirit is not a separate personal entity, but an
influence which the Creator exercises upon the minds of

PETER HUMPHRIES CLARK. 377

men under such circumstances as may comport with His
"will and purposes. See statement of dodtrines of this
church in 'History of all Religions,' by Schmucker, page
167

He lost his place, however, and went clerking. He fin-
ally opened a grocery store for himself. In 1855 he tried
the tempestuous life of an editor, by publishing the Herald
of Freedom. It died early, but was, when alive, a very
efficient organ, filled with vigorous matter. He was next
called to fill the editorial chair on a Free-soil paper, printed
at Newport, Kentucky. At this time it was unlawful for
a. freed colored person to enter the "dark and bloody
ground," but no one disturbed him though he worked at
hi s desk for several months ; but William S. Bailey, who
was the owner of the paper, was often mobbed for its sen-
timents. In 1856 he was on the staff of Fred Douglass'
paper. In 1857 he was recalled to the public schools, to
which was added later a high school known as "Gaines'
High School," of which he was principal for thirty years,
being relieved last year by the Republican board as pay-
ment, perhaps, for his independence in voting for the Dem-
ocratic party and sustaining its principles . To his humanity
and tender heart are due the laws which provided for the
care of the colored paupers and insane of the State. He
drew up the petition and personally visited the law-mak-
ers at Columbus, urging its passage. In 1853 the Na-
tional convention of colored men met in Syracuse. He
drafted a constitution of the "National Equal Rights
League," which did so much to instruct and control our
people.

378 MEN OF MARK.

As a politician he has had the varying fortunes incident
to such a life. At Syracuse, New York, the Liberal party
held their convention, and he then declared his faith in the
Republican party, and from that date, sometime in 1856,
to 1872 he was a devoted member of the party No man
could be more sincere and consecrated to his principles
than he ; and his brilliant talents as an orator and
an organizer were felt in the movements in several cam-
paigns. He was an important factor in the city, county,
State and National affairs. Two years later he joined
what was known as the "new departure," in company
with such men as Hon. George Hoadly, Stanley Mat-
thews, and others. Their principles were "universal suf-
frage and universal amnesty."

Mr. Clark is a man of great and liberal ideas. He believes
that the colored man has not had his dues from the Re-
publican part}' Sure it is he has never received from any
part}', neither Republican nor Democrat, what his services
merit. In 1878 he was a candidate for State school com-
missioner on the Workingman's ticket, receiving fifteen
thousand votes. He is also trustee in the State University,
appointed by Governor Hoadly, a Democrat. In 1882
he aided the Democrats in the county and State elections,
and as soon as the Legislature was organized, being Dem-
ocratic by his aid, they drew up and submitted to him the
civil rights bill, which he approved. It was passed and
signed bv the governor. Many have judged him severely
for tae stand he has taken at times, but as he is so honest
and manly, and labored for his race, why should free men
find fault in a free country with a free man ? Xo one ever

PETER HUMPHRIES CLARK. 379

charged him with corruption; no one ever appealed to him
for aid that did not get it. Mr. Clark deserves credit for
following his convictions. He is no trickster nor sneaking
slave. If more colored men would refuse and resent the
slights put upon them, and the kicks also, the race would
be recognized more in party councils. Mr Clark suffered
more for his politics from his colored brethren than from
the whites. He certainly made it possible for colored men
now in position to get the honors they have. Had Mr.
Clark been silent, Republicans would not have been so
ready to accord honor to colored men, at least not in dis-
tinguished positions ; had he submitted, the others would
still be slaves with their noses on the grindstone, or holding
little petty positions as "ward bummers." And many
that bask in the sunshine that he prepared have spit upon
him. He has frequently had small offices offered him, which
he has declined. He will be no man's servant, to run at his
beck and call. Without patronage to bestow, he would
have to suffer many indignities which he would not take,
hence his refusal. A white man of his ability and learning
would be president of a State college or governor of the
State.

We had already written this sketch when the following
letter appeared in the New York Freeman, of March 29,
1887 It can only be fair to produce it here as his opinion
touching the subject, especially since it rather harmonizes
with my own. Of course there were others contending for
recognition, but they made their fights in the ranks, and
when denied stayed there. It took nerve for such men as
Clark, Matthews, Trotter and Downing, to break away

380 MEN OF MARK.

from the lash of white men and the aha ! aha ! aha ! of
black men. Men admire pluck even in bad men. They
always applaud a deed that marks one as especially val-
orous—who does not admire Napoleon though his crimes
were many? It is alleged that Milton so dignified Satan
that, instead of hating him for his wicked rebellion, we
sympathize with him and bemoan his fall. I confess to
some of the spirit that delights in boldness, daring, pluck,
and though not exactly in harmony with Mr. Clark's line
of procedure, he has my respect for the manly stand he
took in these matters. It is now becoming very fashion-
able, aye, popular, and he will cease to be lonesome. But
here is the letter. His advice is good, and the Ohio pre-
scription might serve as a remedy for National affairs.

WHO INSPIRED THE REPEAL OF THE BLACK LAWS.

HAVING FORCED THE REPUBLICANS TO DO THEIR DUTY, BY SUPPORTING A
DEMOCRAT FOR GOVERNOR, MR. CLARK THINKS THE TACTICS SHOULD
BE TRIED ON THE FIELD OF NATIONAL POLITICS — THE NEGROWUMP AS A
POWER.

To the Editor of The New York Freeman :

Frequently after a successful hunt the question is asked, "Who killed
the bear?" In like spirit the question is being asked, "Who destroyed
the Black Laws of Ohio, the ' knuckle close ' colored Republicans or the
'kickers'?" A brief look at history will help us answer that question.
For more than twenty years of Republican rule, beginning with John
Brough and ending with Charles Foster, no governor of that party ever
suggested the propriety of repealing those laws. And the colored peo-
ple, by a strange neglect, scarcely seemed to be conscious of their exist-
ence and seldom asked for their repeal. There was a sort of notion
prevalent that to ask the Republicans of Ohio to do justice to her
colored citizens would embarrass the party in its alleged fight against
wrong in the South. It is true that the resolutions of the Chillicothe

PETER HUMPHRIES CLARK. 381

convention, held in 1873, demanded the abrogation of all such laws, but
most of the participants in that convention were soon whipped back
into the ranks of the Republican party. Others, more stern in spirit,
were so hounded by partisans, white and black, that they took refuge in
the opposing party. In the course of that twenty years, colored voters
of Ohio were rallied time and again to the support of the Republican
party in the na.ne of "Political and Civil Equality" for the colored
people of the South; but oddly enough, the "Political and Civil" in-
equality of her own people was unnoticed.
But in 1883 there came into the governor's office, aided thereto by the-
otes of sundry thousands of colored "kickers," a man who, remember-
ing the Scriptural injunction, "first cast out the beam out of thine own
eye, and then thou shalt see clearly to cast out the mote of thy brother's-
eye," wasted no space in bewailing the condition of our brethren in the
South, a condition beyond the control of the Ohio Legislature, but said
concerning the laws which oppressed the colored people of his own
State, "The existing legal discriminations on account of color are not
based on character or conduct and have no relation to mental or moral
fitness for civil usefulness, but are rather relics of prejudice which had its
origin in slavery. I recommend their total repeal." That governor was
George Hoadly and the thousands of colored men who, throwing off
party shackles, had voted for him, found their reward in these noble
words, so earnestly and honestly spoken in their behalf. Prompted by
these words, there came a shower of petitions from colored men asking
for civil equality in Ohio. The majority of these were honest petitions,
but many were sent for the purpose of emphasizing what the senders
supposed was difference of opinion between the governor and the Demo-
crat Legislature that was elected with him. But the Legislature listened
to the governor and enacted a law to guard t;he civil rights of all.

Thus challenged, the Republican managers did not dare to go into
another election without bringing back those colored voters whose
defection had given the State to the Democracy. They gave out political
patronage with a free hand, they nominated three colored men to seats
in the Legislature and were profuse in their promises that all laws
making distinctions on account of color should be abolished, if colored
men would again come unitedly to the aid of the party. The result was
the election of Foraker. Hoadly in going out, and Foraker in coming

382 MEN OF MARK.

in, advised that the remnant of the Black Laws should be abolished.
And they were. If you ask the question of any "kicker," "who abol-
ished the Black Laws ?" he will slap himself upon the breast and say " I
did it, with my free ballot." The "kickers" of Ohio are satisfied with
the results of their plan and are prepared to recommend it to their
brethren in other States. Indeed, some of them are asking if there is not
a chance for the use of their tactics on the broad field of National
politics.

Peter H. Clark.
Cincinnati, March, 16, 1887

The Wilberforce Universit\- has conferred on him the title
of A. Al., and well does he deserve it. He is the leading
Negro educator in America.

Air. Clark has reared several children. His oldest daugh-
ter, Ernestine, is the wife of J. Street Nesbit, a letter-
carrier; she graduated from the "Gaines' High School "and
afterwards from the Cincinnati Normal school, being the
first colored girl who, without denying her race, was
admitted to that institution. Afterward obtaining the
highest grade certificate granted to women, she taught
for three years in the "Gaines' High School; " she is pro-
ficient in vocal and instrumental music and drawing. His
second daughter, Consuelo Clark, graduated from the
McMicken School of Art ; she took a high school certifi-
cate, and also a certificate in drawing, and then studied
medicine for four years, graduating at last from the
"School of Medicine of the Boston University" She is
now practicing her profession in the city of Cincinnati.
His son Herbert is a graduate from the "Gaines' High
School," and taught for three years at Alcorn, Alississippi.
Was also deputy sheriff for two years, and gauger in the
first Ohio collection district. It can be very well seen that

PETER HUMPHRIES CI.ARK. 383

there is talent of a high order in the family, and in his old
age may he have the blessing and comfort of his children.
He has saved but little, and can well reflect that he has
spent his money judiciously in the education of his family
and fitting them to take their places in the world.

384? MEN OF MARK.

XLVI.

JUSTIN HOLLAND, ESQ.

Musical Author and Arranger — Performer on the Guitar, Flute and
Piano Forte.

Music hath charms to soothe the savage breast,
To soften rocks or bend the knotted oak.

—Congrere.

His very foot hath music in it.

— Mickle.

IT so happens that the history of music furnishes some
of the most remarkable talents found in the biogra-
phy of art. Some of its greatest results are usually at-
tained by simple means, and the exercise of ordinary
qualities. Excellence in the art, as in everything else, can
only be achieved by dint of painstaking labor. The sub-
ject of this sketch is a good example of what can be done
by steady application.

Air. Holland was born in Norfolk, Virginia, in 1819.
His father was a farmer. In childhood his talent bespoke
so much of a bright future, that he was determined to cul-
tivate it. In a dense forest shut out from the noise and
bustle of a busy town, he was afforded but few opportu-
nities for either hearing or learning music. Yet nature

vpkf.Qft-

JUSTIN HOLLAND.

JUSTIN HOLLAND. 385

taught him the purity of her tones, by the songs of the
birds, and no doubt better fitted him for the greatness he
achieved. He grasped every opportunity that came in his
way, and used it to an advantage. When less than four-
teen, he walked on Sunday to a log meeting-house, five
miles away, to listen to, and also mingle his voice in such
music as the place and people were able to produce. He
often delighted himself with an old song book that came
into his possession, and the tunes he gave them, while
formed by himself, far surpassed those which really be-
longed to them. When fourteen he left the home of his
birth and went to Boston from which he made his way to
Chelsea, Massachusetts. At this place he earnestly began
the study of music. He became acquainted with a distin-
guished musician, Signor Mariam Perez, whose perform-
ance upon the guitar he enjoyed very much. So charmed
was he by the sweetness, tone and fine expressions which
were brought from this instrument, by its skilled per-
former, that he determined to give his whole attention to
the study, not that he thought of being looked upon as a
master performer, as was Perez, but chiefly for his
own amusement.

Mr. Simon Knaebel, an arranger of music, was his first
teacher ; he also took lessons from Mr. William Shubert,
who was known as an expert in music on the guitar. Mr.
Holland, in his eagerness to learn, made rapid progress
and became a favorite pupil, on account of his ability to
play duets with his instructor. He also evinced much
skill with the eight keyed flute, taking lessons on this in-
strument from Mr. Pollock, a Scotch gentleman. Mr.

386 MEN OF MARK.

Holland was poor, but poverty was no hindrance to his
talents. He worked hard to defray his expenses, which
were quite heavy, and the only time he had to practice,
was part of his hours for sleep.

In 1841, he entered Oberlin College, for the purpose of
obtaining a better education, where he diligentlv pursued
his studies, and made rapid advancement. In the same
year he was the author of a book of three hundred and
twenty-four pages, on the subject of " Choral Reform."
In 1815, he went to Cleveland, Ohio, and while looking
for something to do, his fame as a musician brought him
applications, requesting him to teach music to the best
people of the place.

James M. Trotter, in 'Music and Some Highly Musical
People, ' a work of considerable merit and worthy to be in
the hands of all intelligent people, says :

His character had now become finehr formed, he being quite noticeable
for his gentlemanly, scholarly qualities, and for the close attention he
gave to the subject of music and with all that concerned the true
advancement in the profession, in which he now resolved to remain
for life.

As illustrating the principles by which he was guided,
the following extract from a letter written to a friend will
help to define some of his inner motives :

I adopted as a rule of guidance for myself that I would do justice to
thelearnerin my efforts to impart tohimagood knowledgeof the element-
ary principles of music and a correct system of fingering (on the guitar), as
practiced by and taught in the works by the best masters of Europe. I
also decided that in my intercourse as a teacher I would preserve a most
cautious, circumspect demeanor, considering the relation a mere business
one, which gave me no claims upon my pupils' attention or hospitality

JUSTIN HOLLAND. 387

beyond what any ordinary business matter would give.. I am not
aware, therefore, that anyone has ever had cause to complain of my
demeanor or that I have been in any case presumptuous.

He headed the profession in the city, in which he was a
proficient instructor ; and, to make himself more perfedt, he
applied himself to the study of French, Spanish and
Italian, in order to be able to read the systems of foreign
musicians in their native tongue. By his persistent
energy he found himself able to use the above mentioned
languages with much self-complacenc}', and which were
also of great benefit to him in his profession. His success
was due to common sense application and unremitting
perseverance. His gift came by nature, but he perfected it
by self-culture. He took up a subject and pursued it with
unflagging energy ; he could not rest until he had reached
the goal of his ambition. He did much in making the
musical compositions of others for other instruments suit-
able for guitar practice by his skilful arrangement. In
this country he was without equal, and stood on a level
with the best foreign performers.

In 1848 he published many arrangements for the guitar,
which were eagerly purchased by guitar students. It is
said that most all of the music for that instrument has
under it the name of Holland. He also wrote instruction
books for the guitar, which were highly valued because of
the simple methods and clearness of explanations, and are
considered the best ever published. In 1876 Mr. Brainard,
publisher, issued a volume known as ' Holland's Method
for the Guitar.'

All these years his pecuniary circumstances were em-

388 MEX OF MARK.

barrassing. Often he had not the means to buy food to
sustain his body At one time when this was the case he
had some work to do for which he was to receive a good
little sum. It was Sunday, and he began work at 7 p m.
and continued till 8 A. m. the next morning. He took the
work and delivered it to his customer and returned with a
light heart, for he had been well paid for his services.

His gentlemanly demeanor and true politeness towards
his pupils caused them to entertain for him the deepest
feelings of respect and the highest admiration.

Besides being a skillful guitarist, Mr. Holland was also
regarded as a fine pianist and flutist. Asa man of modest
pretensions, he never sought public applause. He has
very seldom appeared in public, and seemed to prefer a
quieter and more sequestered life. His chief work is ' Hol-
land's Comprehensive Method for the Guitar,' written
for and published by J. L. Peters & Company of New
York, in 1874. It is noticeable that of all the musical
firms for whom he has written, only one knew him per-
sonally, though he has written for J. L. Peters & Company,
G. \Y Brainard, D. P Faulds of Louisville, Kentucky,
and John Church of Cincinnati.

He was a distinguished Mason, and held many impor-
tant offices in this order. He was the representative in this
country of the Grand Lodges of France and Peru, each
appointment being considered a very rare distinction. The
Ohio Lodge presented him with a gold watch, as a token
of their appreciation. Many such a noble life, full of good
and earnest labor, inspires others of the race to strive for
higher things, and to overcome difficulties to attain such.

JUSTIN HOLLAND. 389

He died in the city of New Orleans very recently and the
Cleveland Plain Dealer said of him :

The many friends and pupils of Professor Justin Holland will learn
with great sorrow of his death in New Orleans, Louisiana, on Thurs-
day, March 24. For several years he had been in delicate health, and
late last fall went South in the hope of finding a cure by change of cli-
mate. But congestion of the brain, the result of a slight cold, set in, and in
his exhausted physical condition, soon ended his life. He was sixty-seven
years and eight months of age. Professor Holland has made Cleveland
his home for years, and sought in this city to create and maintain a love
for the guitar and guitar music such as had never been here before. Time
can tell how great was his success, but he stood foremost among the
members of his profession, as his name is more widely known than any
other American guitarist. As a man, when one came to know him, the
old professor possessed a heart flowing over with love for his pupils, and
no favor 'was too great to be asked. He will be sadly missed in musical
circles here, and it -will be many years before Cleveland possesses another
guitarist so gifted, so educated and so able to arouse a love for one of
the noblest musical instruments.

390 MEN OF MARK.

XLVII.

PROFESSOR WILLIAM HOOPER COUNCIL.

President State Normal and Industrial School, Huntsville, Alabama —

Editor and Lawyer.

WILLIAM HOOPER COUNCIL was born in Fayette-
ville, Cumberland county, North Carolina, July
12, 1849, of slave parents. His father escaped to Canada
in 1854, and made several unsuccessful attempts to pro-
cure the freedom of his family. The subject of this sketch,
with all the other children, took the maiden name of their
mother, who belonged to one of the largest and most
influential families of the town. The family had never
been separated, and, in 1857, when the two brothers were
sent to distant parts of the South to be heard of no more,
and the mother, with William and the younger brother,
sold in the Richmond market, almost unbearable grief fell
upon all hearts. This undermined the health of the mother
and no other trader wanted her. It seemed that the two
bovs must be separated from her ; but by some understand-
ing no separation could take place without the consent of
the two, and it was thought this could be easily obtained.
So the boys were summoned to the office of the trader in
Richmond, who offered them handfuls of gold and made

WILLIAM HOOPER COUNCIL. 391

many fair promises of a charming "life out west" if they
would consent to leave their mother, who, it was
promised, should join them later. Without any knowl-
edge or warning of what was going on except such as only
a mother's heart could know, at this juncture she mysteri-
ously appeared upon the scene, and, seen only by the
boys, was enabled to warn them by the expression on her
face (for not a word was spoken) that told that the
promises were of no account, and that the gold would be
taken from them after they consented ; consequently, alj
were sold and carried into Alabama together, where they
remained until the close of the war, when the death
of the younger brother was soon followed by that of
the mother, and William was left alone. In 1863, when
the Federal armies invaded north Alabama, the boys were
carried into the back hills to keep them from the" Yankees."
The mother was left in thecityof Huntsville, thinking that
her children would hold her, but she escaped with the army
and sent back for the children, who, by the perfect system
of grape-vine telegraphy well known to the colored people,
and so long carried on while they were in slavery, learned
of all these things, and were ever seeking an opportunity
to be united with 'her. Finally the hour came, and, leaving
home one Sunday afternoon, met each other in the forests,
and, through swamps, over mountains, and wading two
rivers, that Sunday night they reached the Federal lines,
twenty-five miles away, and were united with their
mother, to whom they were fondly attached. They
entered the Freedmen's school at Stevenson, Alabama.
Cicero soon died. When the war closed William waited on

392 MEN OF MARK.

an officer for a year's food, clothing and schooling. How-
ever incredible it may appear, in 1866, at the age of
seventeen years, he took charge of a county school, being
the first to teach a colored school outside of a city in
North Alabama.

His trials with the Ku Klux would require too much
space for the relation, but he had many and severe difficul-
ties. Closing his first session, he spent the following
summer at service in a hotel on top of Lookout mountain,
where he earned enough to defray his expenses in school
the next session. He next worked in a restaurant in Nash-
ville by day and attended night school. Afterwards he did
night service at a restaurant and attended day school. He
then undertook the task of teaching regularly, in which he
has given abundant satisfaction, made much progress and
developed into a professor. Desiring to advance, he pro-
cured chemical and philosophical instruments and walked
eight miles once a week, paying one dollar, to hear a
lecture on these branches. He also paid six dollars per
month for private instruction in Latin and the higher
mathematics. Unfortunately he took part in politics ; he
was enrolling clerk in the Alabama Legislature in 1872 and
'74, and was associate editor of the Negro Watchman in
the year 1874; also he was a nominee of the Republican
part}1- for the Legislature. In 1875 he was appointed by
President Grant receiver of public monies for the northern
district of Alabama, which position he declined, to accept
a position as principal of the city school of Huntsville, to
which he had been elected without solicitation. He
was one of the secretaries of the Colored National Civil

WILLIAM HOOPER COUNCIL. 393

Rights convention, which met in Washington in '1873. He
was elected president of the State Normal and Industrial
school, and professor of sciences and pedagogics in 1876,
which position he now holds. He has made of this school
all that it is.

He has been highly honored by various societies of which
he is a member ; was appointed a notary public by Gover-
nor Cobb in 1882 ; he was editor and proprietor of the
Huntsville Herald from 1878 until 1883, and was admitted
to practice before the Supreme Court of Alabama in 1883.
He is a minister in the A.M. E. church and a great Sunday
school worker ; for push and energy he has but few equals,
and will surely accomplish more in his life.

In 1884 he was united in marriage with Maria H.
Wheeden of Huntsville, since which time he has lived a
pleasant and profitable life. He is highly respected by all
who know him. His school has been a great success and
receives the yearly commendation from the commissioners,
Hon. A. S. Fletcher, Hon. J R. Mayhew and J. D. Brandon.
As a disciplinarian, he easily ranks among the most suc-
cessful ; for the students catch the spirit of the teacher and
go forth into life filled with the high notions which ought
to occupy the attention of the youth of this day. From
the foregoing it will be seen that he is a self-made man,
who wrung success from doubtful circumstances and
brought himself into prominence. And he feels proud of
his graduation from what he facetiously calls the "Pine
Knot College." What men have done, others can do.
Reader, take courage, go forward ; you can and will win.

394 MEN OF MARK.

XLVIII.

REV JAMES POINDEXTER, D. D.

Advocate of Human Rights — Minister of the Gospel and Agitator — Di-
rector of the Bureau of Forestry — Member of the Board of Education
of the City of Columbus, Ohio.

THE State of Ohio has had within its borders one of the
strongest men in the United States, a man whose
soul has been on fire on account of the outrages perpe-
trated against colored people, and who never lost an
opportunity to speak and write with vigor against all
species of outrages and to ally himself persistently with
those elements that look toward the bettering of the con-
dition of those for whom he advocated. His philanthro-
phy has not, however, confined itself to his own race ; but
those who know him have always done him the justice to
say that his interest extended to all classes who are op-
pressed and downtrodden.

He was born in Richmond, Virginia, A. D., 1817 He
attended school from the time he learned to talk and was
instructed in common branches until he reached his tenth
year, when he was apprenticed to the barber's business.
His boss was barber for the most aristocratic class of citi-
zens of Richmond, and he improved every opportunity

JAMES POINDEXTER. 395

afforded him for cultivating his mind by conversation and
association with the customers. He was always ready to
accept instruction from any who would take the pains to
impart it to him.

After settling in Ohio he received private instruction
from an Englishman, one of the ablest educators and
ripest scholars in the city where he lived. As long as he
continued the barber's business he had the good fortune to
have as customers the cream of the intelligent people in the
city of Columbus. His patrons comprised statesmen, sci-
entists, men of all professions, professors of colleges, phy-
sicians, lawyers, merchants and capitalists. This sort of
education is often more valuable than college training ; it
gives one the practical experience of life. Theory from
books may assist in man}7 enterprises in life, but to pursue
life itself unto a successful end takes practical everyday
experience — not only that which we ourselves gain, but
through observation and contact with others. At the
age of twelve he settled in the city of Columbus, where he
now resides. He embraced religion and was baptised into
the communion of the Second Baptist church of Columbus,
Ohio, by Elder Wallace Shelton, in the spring of 1840. He
was ordained an elder in 1849 and was chosen pastor of
said church in 1862, and here he has labored continuously
until the present time. He has served as trustee of the
"Institute for the Blind" of Ohio by appointment of Gov-
ernor Charles Foster for four years. He was appointed
trustee of the Athens University of Ohio by ex-Governor
George Hoadly, but was rejected by a Democratic Senate
because they regarded him as an ultra-Republican. He

396 MEN OF MARK.

has served four years as member of the City ^Council of
Columbus, and was chosen vice-president of that body.
He was unanimously appointed a member of the Board of
Education to fill the vacancy on the board. And at the
next election thereof was elected a member, which position
he now holds.

He has just been re-elected to the position on the School
Board by a majority of 512 votes over a Democratic op-
ponent. This is very indicative of his standing in that
city, for the issue of the daily Ohio State Journal, Colum-
bus, Ohio, April 5, 1887, says :

The result of yesterday's election shows the success of the entire Dem-
ocratic city ticket by majorities ranging from 400 to 800. When it is
remembered that he is a stalwart Republican, his election is a subject of
congrat ulation .

The following letter also shows a new appointment
made by the governor of that State :

State of Ohio, Executive Department,
Office of the Governor, Columbus, March 3, 1887.
Hon. James Poindexter, Columbus, Ohio.

Dear Sir : I am directed by the governor to notify you that he has
appointed you to be a member of the Board of Directors of the State
Forestry Bureau for the term of six years, commencing April 28, 1887,
and to say that a commission has been forwarded to you accordingly
by this day's mail. 1 enclose herewith an official oath — which you will
please execute and return to this office.

Very respectfully,

C. E. Prior, Ex-Clerk.

In the early days of colored men's freedom he was the
first colored man in Ohio nominated by the Republican
party to a seat in the House of Representatives, but was

JAMES POINDEXTER. 397

defeated at the polls. He is a member of the Pastors'
Union, where the ministers are all white except himself;
nevertheless, he was president of said union. He was
empanelled as a juror on the petit jurj- of the United States
court at its last session and was unanimously chosen
foreman of said jury, though, with the exception of himself,
it was composed of white men taken from the best citizens
of the State. He has the honor of being the only colored
man in the State of Ohio who has been a foreman of a jury
in a United States court. This may seem a small matter
to mention in a man's life, and yet, because of existing
prejudices, even such small honors have been withheld
from colored men, and it is here related in order that those
who read may see that character, honor and veracity will
gain credence among all classes of people and a man be
respected for what he is worth, that the color of the skin
will not prevent men from rising mid the direst circum-
stances if they will be true to themselves. Rev. James
Poindexter has been president of the society known as the
"Sons of Protection" for thirty years of its forty three
years existence. The term of office when organized was
only six months, but for the last twenty-five years the
term has been twelve months. Thus he has been in
many ways made the recipient of much confidence and
esteem by his fellow-citizens of all colors, nationalities and
conditions. As regards his aggressiveness, he might be
called aggressiveness itself, but fadts speak louder than
words. No man in Ohio, even a regular employee of a
daily paper, has contributed to the press or made more
speeches on all matters relating to the rights, freedom,

398 MEN OF MARK-

enfranchisement and elevation of our race, or on matters
relating to the public welfare, than Mr Poindexter. If he
should be asked why he has not been further recognized by
appointments to office, the answer could be readily given
that he has esteemed his position as a minister of the
gospel and the pastor of a kind-hearted, faithful member-
ship of much more importance than official positions.
Then, too, in his defense of an oppressed people, and in the
utterances of such opinions as are even ahead of the times,
I have no doubt he has played the part of a patriot, of a
race defender, rather than a suppliant for small favors at
the hands of petty politicians, who know not how to
honor a man who is true to himself and the people. He
never took his opinions from any man. His inspiration
has been drawn from the word of God and his life has com-
ported with his teachings, and thereby made him a power
among men and one of the most vehement writers upon
the subjects heretofore referred to. Specimens of his
manner and style of speaking can be given and will
verify the statement we have made. The Columbus
Capital and Dispatch very frequently reports his addresses
and sermons in full. On the subject of "Pulpit and
Politics," delivered before the Pastors' Union, he spoke as
follows :

Nor can the preacher more than any other citizen plead his religious
work or the sacredness of that work as an exemption from duty. Going
to the Bible to learn the relation of the pulpit to politics, and accepting
the prophets, Christ, and the apostles and the pulpit of their times, and
their precepts and examples as the guide of the pulpit to-day, I think
that the conclusion will be that wherever that is a sin to be rebuked, no
matter by whom committed, and ill to be averted or good to be achieved

JAMES POINDEXTER. 399

"by our country or mankind, there is a place for the pulpit to make itself
felt and heard. The tru|h is, all the help the preachers and all other
.good and worthy citizens can give by taking hold of politics is needed in
order to keep the government out of bad hands and secure the ends for
which governments are formed.

Speaking about the pulpit in connection with slavery he
said some very keen things. It will be remembered that
the Northern pulpit was often silent on the question of
slavery; holding off with hypocrisy rather than respect
for the proprieties of the pulpit; keeping their mouths
closed for fear of losing their positions, rather than declar-
ing the word of God. While on the other hand the South
was preaching "Servants obey your masters " and holding
the colored people in slavery and taking their earnings
for themselves. It left the Negro at the mercy of those
who bound them in slavery. Even the best, or what was
supposed to be the best, element in the world, was either
silent or against him. Said he :

Now it is a fact worthy of note in this connection that objections to
preachers holding with politics generally comes from the thing assailed.
Advocates of slavery never objected to the preachers who, in or out of
the pulpit, maintained that the Bible sanctions slavery, or preached
often from the text "Servants be obedient to your masters." Men who
gave their sympathy to the rebellion never scolded the preacher who
argued that the Constitution conferred no authority on the government
to coerce a State or one who justified the legislator who said, "not a
dollar and not a man to whip the South," nor would man pecuniarily
interested in the whiskey and beer traffic utter a note of dissent if all
preachers would unite in denouncing legislative intervention to control
that traffic as a sumptuary legislation. It will not be denied that some
good persons deprecate the presence of the pulpit in politics; that it is so
unclean a thing that it cannot be touched without taint, unfitting one
for spiritual usefulness. Such persons are deceived, as a careful perusal

4-00 MEN OF MARK.

of the Bible with careful inspection of the lives, private and public, of the
preachers referred to, will show.

As a preacher of the gospel, every subject within the
range of human interest has received his attention. In a
letter to the editor of the Ohio State Journal he shows
how he has trained his people. This is a lesson to young
ministers who have congregations and who desire their
people to be profited and made strong in earthly things
as well as heavenly. He says :

The colored people are a reading people ; my charge comprises families
of all grades of financial standing, and I visit the whole of them, every
family, and where I find little else I find a newspaper; many of my peo-
ple take from three to four dailies, Ohio State Journal, Evening Dis-
patch, Commercial Gazette and not unfrequently Cincinnati Inquirer or
the Columbus Times; and nearly every family one or more Sunday
morning papers, and appear, as they are, a reading people ; and as pas-
tor of a church it is part of my religion to inculcate in all the rising
generation the duty of making themselves as familiar with the Consti-
tution of the United States and laws of their country as these relate to-
the rights and duties of the citizens, as with the Bible.

October 5, 1885, the Ohio State Journal gives a sermon
in full which he preached to his congregation on "The
Crime of Buying and Selling Votes." He thundered from
his pulpit in most vehement and powerful language
against the crime of selling votes, and held up to scorn
and ridicule those who bought them as well as those who
sold; and declared among other things, "that our votes
are not ours in any such sense that we may dispose of
them as we choose for our own pleasure or profit, as we
may any other kind of property They belong to the
whole people ; they are ours in trust to be conscientiously

JAMES POINDEXTER.

JAMES POINDEXTER. 401

used by us to promote the safet}', peace and prosperity o$
the whole. The trust itself is the highest, most important,
most sacred ever vouchsafed by the Almighty God to a
free self-governing people ; in the exercise of it, it is the pri-
mary duty of the voter to see to it that the individual for
whom he votes is an honest, capable man, one who knows
how to discharge the duties of the office and has the integ-
rity to discharge those duties in the light of an all-wise
God." How much better our people would vote and what
better rulers would be selected all over the country if the
preachers would take the opportunity of telling them how-
to live as well as talking about the "Gold-paved streets of
the New Jerusalem ' ' so much . Some are content in preach-
ing if they can get up a shout of hallelujah, and constantly
keep men's minds off the transitory things of life, as they
choose to call it, and turn their attention entirely above.
Thousands on top of thousands are made to think of
heaven and are never directed how to live within the four
walls of their own rooms ; and they delight to deal in the
rhapsodies and joys of the eternal world and are emi-
nently careless about showing them how to get there.

Mr. Poin dexter further referred to the fact that there
are colored men mean enough to sell their votes, but not
many of them ; and that there are white men mean enough
to sell their votes as well as black ones ; and worse than
all, that there are white men recreant enough to buy the
votes of both white and black. He says :

When the bad men of the South wanted to defeat all the results of the
war, they brought to bear on the colored people the persuasiveness of
the revolver, bowie knife, shotgun and halter, and when the world stood

402 MEN OF MARK.

aghast and cried shame, shame, the South responded, "No.no, not at all,
not at all ; if the North was in our place it would do as we do ; it would
be compelled to do as we do. The Negro is ignorant and as a conse-
quence he is vicious, cannot tell the truth, steals everything he puts his
hands upon, and must be scourged to his work, is insulting to white
people ; our women shudder when they meet him on the highway and
have a right to; and above all and worse than all, he won't vote with
his old masters."

And then with all the vigor of his soul, with all his
wrath aroused, he continued his sermon with this vigorous
question :

This self-evident damning lie was exhibited as a true bill against the
Southern people by too many good people of the North, and as a conse-
quence the)- were left to the tender mercies of the men whom they had
helped to defeat in their cherished object, and that to destroy the only
free government on the earth. I denounce this charge against the colored
people of the South. A self-evident lie, because the men most entitled to
be believed — men, who, when the fight was over, accepted the situation
and went to work to rebuild their prostrate States — say it is a lie: say
the Negro is a good citizen : sa}- that when the strong men of the Con-
federacy were in the army, their women and children were undisturbed
and safe in the hands of the Negro, and no single case of the outrages now
so lavishly attributed to them, and so readily believed in the North, was
known to occur. I denounce the charge as a damning lie on the colored
man, because it does not present him as he is, but does present him as the
monster two and a half centuries of barbarous oppression would seem
calculated to make him, and thus obtained that credence in the North,
which, to its shame, leaves the poor creature in a condition worse than
when he was a slave.

These extracts can better epitomize the life and character
of Mr. Poindexter than any words of comment which
might here be given. To show the estimation in which he
is held by the citizens of Columbus, the following letter is
given. The writer was solicited by Mr. Poindexter to

JAMES POINDEXTER. 403

accept the position on the bench of the Supreme Court of
the State, which had been tendered by Governor Foraker,
and to this solicitation he replied in the following words :

Rev. James Poindexter,

My Dear Sir: — Your favor of yesterday came to my hand in the
evening.

I received many letters and telegrams urging me to accept the appoint-
ment tendered by the governor, but I assure you in all sincerity that none
of them had the persuasive influence on my judgment which your favor
would have had if it had been received before I determined, and had com-
municated my determination to the governor. The considerations you
urge upon my attention are very cogent, and the sentiment and tone of
your entire letter show that you have a just appreciation of the judicial
office. When I may happen to meet you I will communicate to you the
reason which influenced my mind in declining to accept, as they relate
to my personal affairs.

With great respect,

Richard A. Harrison.

Mr. Poindexter has succeeded in surrounding himself
with many comforts : he has a good home and a fine
library, and man}- other comforts which go to make a
home happy, and he dwells, as we have said, with a people
who know how to appreciate his years of hard service for
Christ and the race. No man is better known and hon-
ored. In the United States he has been a wall of fire
against wrong, a generous supporter to every cause that
needs assistance.

Faithful to every trust, careful, painstaking, and noble-
hearted, though obliged to disagree with many, he has yet
maintained friendly relations with all classes who respect
manhood wherever it is possessed. If this sketch preserves
a little of the history of his life, we trust that it will in-

104 MEN OF MARK.

spire some other to give a more extended history of this
man whose deeds have entered into the affairs of the last
half century

Aluch has been said about the black laws of the States
Air Poindexter has been fighting that mountain of iniquity
all his life, and younger men have arisen, and the opportu-
nity having been presented, brought about largely by just
such men as Mr. Poindexter, who were pioneers in these
matters, they have had the opportunity by position and
learning to do much which he could not accomplish. Had
Mr. Poindexter lived in a Republican county, things which
have existed could not have possibly remained to this day,
for he would have been in the Legislature warring against
these things years ago. No man has done more in the
State to arouse the feeling and popular sentiment against
the outrages of these laws than Mr. Poindexter, and that
finally through the Ely-Arnett bill his past labors will be a
fitting reward. No matter who may have a place against
men, he must not be forgotten.

This eminent agitator, Rev. James Poindexter, delivered
the baccalaureate sermon before the graduating class of the
State University, Louisville, Kentucky, May 15, 1887
The old veteran of sixty years' service thrilled every heart,
and the vast congregation in the Calvary Baptist church
— Rev. C. H. Parrish, pastor — felt the powerful effects of
his arguments, and were stirred to do greater works for
Christ. On Tuesday night, May 17, 1887, the degree of
Doctor of Divinity was conferred on him.

RICHARD MASON HANCOCK. 405

XLIX.

RICHARD MASON HANCOCK, ESQ.

Foreman of the Pattern Shops of the Eagle Works Manufacturing Com-
pany, Chicago, Illinois. Mathematician — Carpenter — Draughtsman
— Foreman of the Liberty Iron Works Pattern Shop.

TO speak of one who has made a success in this depart-
ment is indeed a pleasure, for in this work he has had the
honor of showing Negro talent and also overcoming those
obstacles that defeat success in many men. It used to be
that only white men could do the "bossing," but the bot-
tom rail is on the top, and Mr. Hancock is now doing
such work as guides over seven hundred white employees
and gives satisfaction to his generous employers. We have
said elsewhere that brains will tell, and here is an indisput-
able evidence. Do you think he would be employed if he
could not do the work ? No, indeed, not a bit of it. He is
competent, and that indeed is the reason. Why should the
firm trust him with the disposition of their thousands un-
less he could make them thousands ? The truth is they do
not know his superior, and hence employ him. It is a
praiseworthy thing that his employers could see the man,
the artist, the draughtsman, and be influenced neither by
the color of his skin nor the drops of blood that may be

■iOH MEN OF MARK.

in his veins attributable to black parents. I am indebted
to a sketch, which appeared in the columns of the Detroit
Plaindealer, May 14, 1886, for many of the facts which
appear here.

Mr Hancock was born of free parents at Newberne,
North Carolina, November 22, 1832. His father, William
H. Hancock, is a hale old gentleman, still alive, residing
at Chicago, Illinois. At an early age Richard was sent to
a private school in his native town, the public schools of
which, and indeed the laws of the "Old North State, "being
then opposed to the education of Negro children. Here he
mastered the rudiments of a common school course, and
when thirteen years old began as a carpenter's apprentice
under his father. He worked nine years at the bench ; by
that time having gained a thorough knowledge of the
trade, and attained his majority, he left North Carolina
and went to New Haven, Connecticut. He soon found
employment at his trade with Messrs] Atwater & Treat
and Doolittle & Company, two white firms that were not
slow in recognizing him as an efficient workman. " Join-
ering" was the particular branch of the trade at which he
had been engaged up to this time.

He finally drifted to Lockport, New York, where he fol-
lowed ship carpentry two years, .building canal boats,
after which he was taken into the employ of the Holly
Manufacturing Company, with whom he remained four
years. While with them he learned pattern-making, a
branch of the trade that requires first of all a complete
mastery of carpentry, besides an acquaintance with higher
mathematics, a knowledge of draughting and the constant

RICHARD MASON HANCOCK. 407

exercise of the very best judgment. For foiir years he
worked and studied to make himself proficient, and at the
end of that period had mastered all the theory and much of
the practical details of that branch of the trade.

In 1862 he came to Chicago, and shortly after was given
employment as a pattern-maker in the shops of the Eagle
Works Manufacturing Company, whose president, Mr. P
W Gates, was a true and tried friend of the Negro, when all
the law and nearly all the public sentiment of the land
was in favor of keeping him in slavery. At that time this
company had the largest machine and boiler shops and
foundry that was in operation in the West.

After working as a journeyman two years, he was pro-
moted to the foremanship of the pattern department, and
had in his charge fourteen men, all of whom were white.
To serve under a Negro foreman, no matter if he did know
more about the business than they did, was too much for
their Northern blood, so they "struck." For three days
Mr. Hancock was "monarch of all he surveyed." But the
prospect was not a pleasing one, for the shop was crowded
with orders and there was more work to get out than he
could perform unaided. So fearing that its delayed execu-
tion might injure him with his employers, he went before
the president and tendered his resignation. After hearing
him through, Mr. Gates quietly said: "Oh! go back to
work. It will all come right in an hundred years." He
obeyed. Other pattern-makers to fill the places of the
strikers were soon engaged, and ten years subsequent
service with the same firm showed that less than a century
could make all things right.

408 MEN OF MARK.

While with the Eagle Works Company, he was instru-
mental in teaching two colored young men trades — Mr.
Beverlv Meeks as a machinist, and Mr. John Johnson as a
pattern-maker. The former is now in the employ of the
C. & N. W Railroad Company at their shops in Detroit,
while the latter is plying his trade at Denver, Colorado.
He also used his influence with good effect to secure work
at their trades for other colored men in the foundry and
blacksmith shops of the works.

In 1873 the firm for which he worked went out of busi-
ness, and a new firm, composed of two of his former super-
intendents, Messrs. Fraser and Chalmers, started the
Liberty Iron Works in this city They showed their confi-
dence in his ability by immediately placing him at the head
of their pattern shops. Their business soon reached large
proportions, requiring now the constant services of over
seven hundred skilled employees, fifteen of whom are kept
busy making patterns. The firm makes a specialty of
manufacturing intricate mining machinery, and in the
course of a year gets out an almost infinite variety of inde-
scribable work, for most of which new patterns have to be
made. All of the work must conform strictly to the draw-
ings in every particular. This will show the importance
of the position held by Mr. Hancock in the second largest
establishment of the kind in this country. He has been
with his present employers fifteen years, commands a good
salary, and is held in high esteem by them and his fellow-
workmen. In the same shop with him is his son George,
who is also regarded as an efficient pattern-maker.

In private life Mr. Hancock is a public-spirited and pro-

RICHARD MASON HANCOCK. 409

gressive citizen ; a member of several societies, in some of
which he holds a high rank, notably the Masonic frater-
nity; a vestryman of St. Thomas' Episcopal church, and
an interesting talker at the literary sessions of the Pru-
dence Crandall circle. He has a cosy home on Fulton street,
where, assisted by his wife, an amiable and intelligent
ladv, his many friends are made welcome.

4-10 MEN OF MARK.

PROFESSOR W S. SCARBOROUGH, A. B., A. M., LL.D.

Author of a Greek Text Book — Scientist — Lecturer — Scholar — Student of
Sanscrit, Zend, Gothic and Luthanian Languages.

THE names of the parents of the subject of this sketch
were Jesse and Frances Scarborough. His father
was set free by his old master about fifteen years before
the war began, and three thousand dollars were left in the
hands of his guardian, so that if he should desire to leave the
South, he might do so. Further, it was stipulated with
the railroad authorities, in whose employ he was for forty
years, that half of the money he received as wages should
be given him and the other retained by them to meet his
doctor's bills and other demands, should he get sick. If
he left the South, the half retained by them or as much of
it as was not spent should be given to him. He remained
in Georgia, as his wife was nominally a slave and could
not accompany him if he went North. The conditions
above stated were never fulfilled and he received none of
the monev

Young Scarborough was born, February 16, 1852, in
Macon, Bibb county, Georgia. Of course, under the cir-
cumstances stated, he was nominally a slave, and his early

W. S. SCARBOROUGH. 411

days were spent in Macon, where he began to go-to school
as early as six years of age. He would go out day after
day, ostensibly to play, but with his books concealed
under his arm. He spent six or eight hours each day in
school till he could read well, and had gathered a good
knowledge of geography, grammar and arithmetic. At the
age of ten he took regular lessons in writing under an old
South Carolinian and rebel of the bitterest type ; despite
the strict laws then existing against Negro education, it
was miraculous that a man hating the Negroes as this
white man did, would take such an interest in a colored
youth, and would even go to the extent of teaching him the
art of penmanship. But "God works in a mysterious way
his wOnders to perform." This man's name was J. C.
Thomas, and he is now dead ; it would be a pleasure in-
deed if he were living to see his young pupil so distin-
guished for his learning, and so prominent in the educa-
tional councils of the Nation.

Young Scarborough was also taught by his playmates,
who were white boys, receiving much instruction directly
and indirectly. His parents having had a common school
education were able to assist him very much by way of
direction in his studies, in secret, until the war closed.
He was put to the study of books by his parents as soon
as they were able to do so.

He remembers one or two narrow escapes he had during
his early life, which, when seen in the light of his present
career, shows that God preserves those for whom he has.
special work. He was eight years old, on a fourth of July
day. When he was returning from seeing a military pa- ,

412 MEN OF MARK.

rade, he had to pass through a long bridge ; here he met
two men very drunk, who seized him and held him through
the window over the rushing waters below, from which
terrible fate he was rescued by passers-by During the
war, friends would come to see the family without passes.
Though a boy, he used to give them a safe permit home,
signing their master's name. Many colored people would
run the gauntlet with no other passport than that given
by him. He began the study of music when he was twelve
years old, and as there was no law against this, he used to
practice twice a week openty. At the age of ten he had
been elected secretary of one of the most prominent organ-
izations among the colored people in Macon, Georgia.
Such meetings were allowed during the war by the whites,
provided the members got a permit. He received a slight
fee for such services. During this period when not en-
gaged in study, he worked at the shoemaker's trade, and
just before the war closed he spent one year at the trade
as a regular apprentice. Even in those days his intellect
gave him advantages over many, and his services were
always in demand, for he was called on to read the papers
every morning by the men at work, and talk about and
explain the movements of the two contending armies.
When the war closed he passed from grade to grade in the
schools, until 1867, when he entered the Lewis High
School and finished in 1869. With this preparation, and
with studious habits, a lad of seventeen he entered the
Atlanta University, to prepare for Yale College. He re-
mained at this institution two years and then entered
Oberlin College, in Ohio, and graduated in 1875. Immedi-

W. S. SCARBOROUGH. 413

ateiy after graduation he returned to Macon and accepted
a position offered by the American Missionary Society to
teach Latin, Greek and mathematics in the Lewis High
School ; but in September he returned to Oberlin, and gave
several months study to theology in the seminary, devot-
ing himself especially to Hellenistic, Greek and Hebrew
During the winter he was called to the principalship of
Payne Institute, located at Cokesburg, South Carolina,
now merged into the Allen University of Columbia, South
Carolina.

While he was studying, he always taught during the
summers to aid in his support, having positions at Albany
Enterprise Academy, Albany, Ohio, and district school at
Bloomingburg, Ohio, Howard Normal school atCuthbert,
Georgia, and two selected schools at Macon, Georgia.

He was called to his present position in the fall of 1877,
and established the post-office at Wilberforce, Ohio, and
was commissioned its first postmaster in 1879. Here he
organized the first reading-room for young men, and was
its president until he resigned in 1881. He assisted J. W
Fitch in editing the Authors' Review and Scrap-book,
printed in Pittsburgh. His duties were such that he could
not do justice to his work, so he sold out his share in the
firm. This periodical succeeded well in its intent — to fill a
need in the school-room.

Professor Scarborough is one of the brightest lights in
the colored race. He has a masterly mind and a compre-
hensive grasp of all subjects which he investigates. His
fort is the classics, more particularly Greek. He has been
acknowledged as a scholar, more by his authorship of a

414 MEN OF MARK.

Greek text-book and on account of his associations in emi-
nent scientific societies and his association with learned
men, than perhaps any other thing. He has read several
papers before the Philological Association on the themotic
vowel in the Greek verb, in Homer and Virgil, etc. He is a
member of the American Philological association, elected
at Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, July,
18S2, and also a member of the American Spelling Reform
Association, elected at Dartmouth College, July, 1883, Han-
over, New Hampshire. He is a member of the Modern
Language Association of America, elected at Johns Hop-
kins University, Baltimore, Maryland, December, 1884; a
member of the American Social Science Association, elected
at Saratoga, New York, September 1, 1885 ; member of the
American Foreign Antislavery Society, elected in 1883, in
New York; amemberof the 1. 0. Good Templars. Heisalso
connected with the A. M. E. church. Was brought up in
part a Presbyterian, and his mother is still a Presbyterian,
while his father when living was an African Methodist.

This church is justly proud of this eminent and progres-
sive scholar, and there seems to be no jealousy among the
older members that this young man should take such a
prominent stand in the literary affairs of the times. He
was a delegate to the Centennial of Methodism at Balti-
more, December, 1884, and was very useful in said meeting.
He has held various positions in his church, that always
delights to honor him. He has been trustee and
Sunday school superintendent several times, and at this
writing fills both positions. He is in constant demand to
deliver orations and lectures upon various subjects. He

W- S. SCARBOROUGH. 415

was invited to read a paper upon "Industrial'Schools,"
before the colored teachers convention in Missouri ; had a
similar invitation to read a paper on the "Sphere of the
Colored Teacher, ' ' before the colored teachers of Springfield,
Ohio ; read a paper before the Georgia Colored Teachers'
Association on "The Importance of Union in Works of
the Colored People of the Country." He has lectured on
various topics at various places. Many of these lectures
have been published. He has -written much for the press,
and his articles are always acceptable.

After the death of Professor Wiley Lane of Howard Uni-
versity, he was prominently spoken of as his successor in
the chair of Greek at said university. In the trustee board
he was beaten by the votes of the white men who voted
for a white man, while the colored men voted for him. He
was the choice of Frederick Douglass, Francis J. Grimke,
William Waring, Bishop John M. Brown, and Mr. Cook,
who were trustees at the time. This was in April, 1885.
Letters of indorsement were sent him from New York,
Philadelphia, Boston, Chicago, Washington and Baltimore,
in fact from all parts of the country. This proved that he
was recognized as a specialist in the department of Greek
by the leading colored people of the United States, espec-
ially the scholars of them. He has been invited to take a
position in the Brooklyn school, but did not accept. After
graduation he was solicited to go to Africa and engage in
literary pursuits, that of learning and translating the lan-
guages, with a salary of $1,800. This he refused, preferr-
ing to make his mark in this country. He was invited to
give, in the form of a paper, his views on the study of

416 MEN OF MARK.

the classic languages in a course of liberal education be
fore the convention of teachers in the State of New York,
in 1884.

His career has been unusually brilliant, and should he
live long will leave behind him a course of life worthy of
emulation. He received the degree of A. B. from the Depart-
ment of Philosoplry and the Arts at Oberlin College in 1875 ;
his degree of A. M., in course in 1878, and the degree of
LL. D. from Liberia College, West Africa, 1882.

In 1881, A. S. Barnes & Company of New York, placed
upon the market his 'First Lessons in Greek,' of which
Professor Greener said : " It is no small degree of praise to
say that he has done just what he undertook. Amid
the number of books of this class there is none more ac-
curate or complete." Professor Gregory of Howard Uni-
versity said: "He has succeeded in avoiding the mistake
made by so many authors of presenting many unnecessary
complications in a first book, which serve to mislead and
confuse the beginner " Professor Alexander Kerr of the
University of Wisconsin, said: Professor Scarborough
has shown good taste and good judgment in avoiding
long and complex sentences for translation, and in hold-
ing himself to a clear and concise statement of the rudi-
mentary forms of the language." He sent a copy of his
book to John F Slater, who gave a million dollars to
educate the colored race, and received the following reply :

Norwich, Connecticut, June 2S, 1882.
Professor William S. Scarborough.

Dear Sir .—Your book entitled ' First Lessons in Greek,' has been duly
received by me. If I may hope that what I h.'ve tried to do for the

W. S. SCARBOROUGH.

W. S. SCARBOROUGH. 417

promulgation of education among your race should result in any more
such publications I shall feel that my efforts have been amply rewarded.

Very truly yours,

John F. Slater.

He has also published several pamphlets, one called
"Our Civil Status," forty pages, in 1884. This was read
at the Inter-State convention of colored men held at
Pittsburgh, in April of that year. Another thirty-six page
pamphlet on the "Birds of Aristophanes: A Theory of
Interpretation," published by D. C. Heath & Company of
Boston. This was a paper read before the American
Philological Association at Cornell University, Ithaca,
New York, July, 1886. He also has in manuscript, "Ques-
tions on the Latin Language with Appendix;" also the
twenty-first and twenty-second books of Livy, based on
the German editions of ' Weissenborn ' and 'Oolfflin.' It
will probably be published in 1887 by the University Pub-
lication Company of New York. He is also preparing
other Latin and Greek works which will be revised and
annotated by Professor W B. Frost of Oberlin college, as
soon as ready

Professor Scarborough's range of studies is very wide,
including a knowledge of the modern languages, also San-
scrit, Zend, Gothic, Luthanian, Old Slavonic, which he uses
as aids in his special labors. He is at home in all kindred
studies. While giving much attention to these matters,
he has several times been elected to various positions in
his county and State. Was one of the signers of a call for
a convention which met in Columbus, Ohio, December,
1883, to consider the civil status of the colored men in

418 MEN OF MARK.

Ohio. He was appointed by the State Central committee
to organize "Equal Rights Leagues," in the Seventh dis-
trict of Ohio.

In 1883 he was married to Miss Sarah C. Bierce. She
is a very intelligent woman and cultivated writer, who
secures opportunities for exercising her gifts at good pay.
She is a graduate of the Oswego Normal school of New
York, and filled a principalship of the Normal department
of Wilberforce for three years. The ceremony was per-
formed by the lamented Bishop W F Dickerson.

j.n worldly goods Professor Scarborough is worth any-
where from -seven to ten thousand dollars, and his fame
and fortune are both on the increase.

SOLOMON T. CLANTON, JR. 419

LI.

REV SOLOMON T CLANTON, JR., A. B., B. D.

Instructor of Mathematics — Secretary of the American National Baptist
Convention — Agent of the American Baptist Publication Society.

THE secretary is a native of the "Pelican" State; his
parents lived at Cypremore, St. Mary's Parish,
Louisiana. Their names were S. T. and Mary Clanton.
They rejoiced at the birth of S. T. Clanton, jr., March 27,
1857 The parents were anxious for the boy to be edu-
cated, and he labored faithfully to assist them by obedi-
ence and closely following their advice. In order to
further accomplish their desires, the boy was sent to New
Orleans, where he attended the Government school in
1862, when he was only about five years old.

When he passed the examination for the High school,
he could not go to the white school, and there were none
for the colored, so he entered the New Orleans University
and graduated in 1878 with the usual title of A. B. In
December of the same year he was appointed instructor of
mathematics in Leland University of New Orleans. He
resigned this position in May, 1880, that he might enter
in the next September upon a course of theology in the
Baptist Union Theological Seminary at Morgan Park,'

42J MEN OF MARK.

Illinois, from which in Ala}-, 1883, he graduated with the
degree of B. D.

In June, 1883, he was elected Sunday-school missionary
of the American Baptist Publication Society, and has been
in that position ever since. He had, however, labored on
several occasions for this same society and this perma-
nent appointment was only the result of great confidence
in him when he labored for them on previous occasions,
in the summers of 1877, 1879 and 1880, in Louisiana
and Illinois. In the summers of 1881 and 1882 he als6
labored faithfully in their employ.

He married one of the most discreet, amiable and ac-
complished women in the countr\-, June 6, 1883, at the
residence of her parents, John and Rebecca Bird, in Deca-
tur, Illinois. She was then Miss Olive Bird, and educated
in the Public and High school of her native city Air.
Clanton began life as a bricklayer, and has made remark-
able progress in this short time ; he bids fair to accomplish
much, being a man of perseverance and tact. In the coun-
cils of his brethren, his opinion has great weight. His
father dying when he was about nine years old, left him
and his sisters to the care of a hardworking, loving
mother, who with her own hands, unaided, was enabled
to educate three children — Solomon, of whom we write
especially; Elvina A. Clanton, graduated from the Leland
"University, from the scientific course with the title of B. S.,
and P A. Clanton, who graduated from the same school
in classified course with the title of A. B. What a monu-
ment to one pair of hands ! What a blessing is a good
mother !

SOLOMON T CLANTON, JR. 421

Secretary Clanton has filled one term as secretary of the
American Baptist Foreign Mission convention, which is
doing work in Africa, sustaining missionaries there; and
was elected August 25, 1886, as secretary of the American
Baptist National convention. As a writer he is fluent and
yet cogent, smooth yet forcible, graceful and yet vigor-
ous. He has accumulated some property and lives com-
Sortablv.

422 MEN OF MARK.

LII.

PROFESSOR JOHN 0. CROSBY, A.M., B. E.

Principal State Normal School, North Carolina.

IN the little village of Crosbyville, Fairfield county,
South Carolina, on the twenty-second of December,
1850, the subject of this sketch, Rev John Oliver Crosby,
was born in slavery. His mother's name was Sylvia. She
came from Richmond, Virginia, when she was only twelve
years old, having been sold to a speculator at the sale of
John Tinsley to satisfy his creditors. His father was
Thomas Crosby. At a very early age John Oliver was
apprenticed to the carpenter's trade, which he learned so
rapidly that at the age of twelve he was made foreman and
superintended the building of numerous small houses of
from two to ten rooms each. In 1860 Thomas Crosby
died, and the same year the Crosby estate was sold. Mary
Q. Crosby bought the young carpenter for $1260. His
apprenticeship ending, he moved to Shelton's Depot and
became the slave of William Stanton, who had married his
young mistress, Miss Crosby. In 1864 Mr. Stanton was
drafted into the Confederate service and sent to Florence,
South Carolina, to guard Federal prisoners. In the sum-

JOHN O. CROSBY. 423

mer Mr. Stanton came home on a furlough, and on his
return took the boy John along as a servant. At Colum-
bia, Stanton and all other reserved soldiers returning to
their commands were stopped by order of the govern-
ment and put on duty as a guard at a prison containing
about fourteen hundred Federal prisoners. This prison
was about three miles west of Columbia, across the Con-
garee river, and about half a mile from the Saluda river.
General Means was in command, and being an intimate
friend of Stanton's, Stanton was appointed by him sutler
to the prisoners. From this time he made his headquart-
ers in Columbia. John Oliver spent the greater part of his
time at the headquarters of General Means, where he made
himself useful as a servant, and occasionally acting as
drummer, beating the reveille and other signals.

The boy despised slavery, and had always studiously and
artfully avoided addressing his owners as "master." He
therefore resolved to assist the prisoners in every way
possible. There were three ways in which this could be
done. First, some of the prisoners were allowed to go out
on parol to get wood, and as John was well known at
the camp and allowed to go everywhere he pleased, he
would occasionally furnish a prisoner with sufficient pro-
visions to last two or three days. In this way the pris-
oner could spend several days in accomplishing his escape
from the neighborhood. Secondly, he could furnish some
of the prisoners with an occasional newspaper, giving the
Confederate movements. But the greatest services were
rendered in a very different way. At the headquarters, in a
tent next to the one occupied by General Means himself,

424 MEN OF MARK.

and to which John Oliver had free access at all times, were
two large baskets. These baskets were the recipients of
all the mail brought from the "prison post-office " to be
forwarded to wives and friends in the North. Three young
men were daily occupied reading these letters ; those deemed
fit to be sent on were put into one basket, and those con-
taining any objectionable matter were thrown into the
other basket. More than two-thirds of the letters were
thus rejected and went to the flames. John Oliver conceived
a plan by which some of the "refused letters" could be
forwarded to their destination. The mail would leave the
camp at eleven o'clock daily, and as all the .letters exam-
ined between this time and the next day were allowed to
remain in the basket, he would transfer from twenty to
thirty letters daily from the rejected basket to the one con-
taining the "approved letters."

After the war he went to live with his mother on a farm
in Chester county. He remained there about one year;
but he and his stepfather could never agree, as the "old
man" despised "laming" and said it was "spilin" all the
boys on the place. John was also pretty expert at figures
up to division, and could read well in the second reader.
He was to the boys on the plantation what 'Webster's
Dictionary' is to the learned, and, notwithstanding his
ragged condition, was a favorite with all the old people.
His mother was a woman of fine sense, her greatest
blunder being the selection of a husband. This is a
common blunder with women who have children. How
many young men would become useful but for this very
thing; they are hedged in on all sides by men of blunt

JOHN O. CROSBY. 425

feelings, of rough natures and of a lack of appreciation that
ought to be given to the aspiring hopes of children. With
his mother's advice, he resolved to make his escape from
this paternal slavery far worse than the other. Promising
to return to his mother in due time, he started from home late
one afternoon, carrying with him a smaller brother. They
had no money and only a pound of bacon and a corn ash
cake. Their mother was not a Christian, but they felt
while on their journey that their mother was praying for
them. After some hardships the boys reached Winnsboro,
a town of fifteen hundred inhabitants, thirty-five miles
distant. Being poorly clad, they found some difficulty in
getting employment. On the second day, however, he got
a place for himself and his brother. He was at this time
in good circumstances, and completing a course in music
at one of our leading colleges, Mr. Crosby entered school,
working at odd times for support and paying for tuition
by ringing a school bell. He soon got to be president of a
debating club and teacher of the only colored Sunday
school in town. Having joined the Union league, and be-
coming prominent in the county politics, he was appointed
in the spring of 1869, by Governor R. H. Scott, the census
taker for Fairfield county He entered Biddle University in
the fall of 1869 and the Shaw University in 1870, grad-
uating from the latter in 1874. He has since graduated
from the National School of Elocution and Oratory, being
the first colored man who ever graduated from this famous
^stitution. Mr. Crosby resolved to enter the ministry;
his first work in this line was done in the summer of 1872
•as a student missionary under the auspices of the Ameri-

426 MEN OF MARK.

can Baptist Home Mission Society of New York. He
was assigned Mecklenburg county as a field of labor
During the four months after the commission was given
him he raised two hundred dollars for the First Baptist
church of Charlotte and eighty dollars for Shaw Univer-
sity, besides organizing a church at West Holly, North
Carolina, which has now a large and flourishing congrega-
tion. In 1874 he was ordained and took charge of the
first Colored Baptist church of Warrington, North Caro-
lina. In 1875 Mr. Crosby was elected delegate from
Warren county to the State Constitutional convention,
which framed the present constitution of the State. He
took an active part in the deliberations and vigorously
opposed by speeches and vote every ordinance aimed
directly or indirectly at his race. In 1880 he was called to
the Dixonville Baptist church of Salisbury, and during the
same year became principal of the State Colored Normal
school, located at the same place. These two important
positions he still holds. He has also been moderator of
one of the largest Baptist associations in North Carolina
since 1881. He is chairman of the Home Mission board of
the North Carolina State convention and editor of the
Golddust, the organ of the colored Baptists of the State.
He is connected with numerous other positions, boards
and business enterprises.

To name and give an account of all the honors conferred
and positions bestowed upon this worthy son of the old
North State would occupy more space than can be allowed
in a book of this size. He has baptized more than twelve
hundred persons. Mr. Crosby occupies a place in the front

JOHN O. CROSBY. 427

rank as a preacher. He is one of the most popular and
successful men in his denomination, which numbers more
than one hundred and ten thousand in this State. Not-
withstanding his charitable habits, he is worth more than
four thousand dollars — the fruits of his own toil. He has
risen by degrees from poverty and obscurity to one of the
most honorable stations in the State.

428 MEN OF MARK.

LIU.
HON. FRANCIS L. CARDOZA.

Secretary of State— State Treasurer — Professor of Languages — Principal
of the High School, Washington, District of Columbia.

HE was born at Charleston, South Carolina, Janu-
ary 1, 1837, and was sent to school at five years
of age, where he remained until he was twelve. He was
then apprenticed to the carpenter's trade for five years,
after which he worked as journeyman for four years.
When he was twenty-one years old he left the bench and
with one thousand dollars, which he had saved as a jour-
neyman, started for Glasgow, Scotland, to obtain a colle-
giate education, to which he aspired. His ultimate aim
was to prepare for the ministry He studied four years at
the University at Glasgow, and three years at the Presby-
terian seminaries at Edinburgh and London. The cost of
his education was about three thousand dollars, in addi-
tion to one thousand dollars, which he had saved before
starting. Notwithstanding he was pursuing these courses,
he worked during vacations at his trade and other em-
ployments, making about one thousand dollars. In a
competitive examination among the graduates of four
colleges, he won a scholarship of one thousand dollars

FRANCIS L. CARDOZA. 429

and then removed to London, England, and finished the
remaining two years of his course. This was a very re-
markable feat, and in this respect I think he stands almost
alone. But this was not all. While at the university at
Glasgow, he won the fifth prize in Latin, among two hun-
dred students in his class, and the seventh in Greek among
one hundred and fifty students. He returned to the United
States in the summer of 1864, and was settled as pastor
of the Temple Street Congregational church in New
Haven, Connecticut, August 1 , 1864. The American Mis-
sionary Association of New York requested him to estab-
lish and take charge of a Normal school of colored pupils
in Charleston, South Carolina, August 1, 1865, which he
accepted and presided over for three years. In this time
he was noted as a scholar of rare attainments, and though
a very quiet, unassuming man, he was not neglected or
overlooked by his friends, who elected him a member of
the Constitutional convention of South Carolina in Janu-
ary, 1868, established under the reconstruction acts.
August the first, of the same year, he was elected secretary
of State and served four years. Now while he -was
serving his first term as secretary of State, he was elected
professor of Latin at Howard University. He resigned
the position of secretary and accepted the professorship.
The governor of South Carolina protested against his
resignation, and suggested that he retain the office and
appoint a deputy secretary of State. As Mr. Cardoza
had only fourteen months to serve, this was finally agreed
upon. He then taught at Howard until March, 1872,
and returned to South Carolina at the earnest solicitation

430 MEN OF MARK.

of his friends, to accept the position of State treasurer, to
which he was elected August 1, 1872.

After he had served out the first term of the treasurer-
ship, he was re-elected in 1876, but the downfall of Repub-
licanism at that time prevented the exercises of the duties
of the office. The transfer of the Republican State govern-
ment of South Carolina and Louisiana to the Democrats
by a coup d' etat is perfectly familiar to all. During his
treasurership he handled between six and seven million
dollars and eight million in bonds and stocks. His books
were carefully and thoroughly examined by a committee
of the Democratic Legislature after his term of office ex-
pired, with an expert accountant, and they reported his
books correct. He was appointed to a clerkship in the
Treasury Department at Washington, District of Co-
lumbia, by Secretary John Sherman, in 1878, and remained
for six years, when he was appointed principal of the Col-
ored High School of Washington, District of Columbia,
which position he now holds. The school has an enroll-
ment of about two hundred and fifty pupils — two hundred
females and fifty males, nearly all of whom are preparing
for teachers. The work is of very great importance; is
far-reaching in its influence, as these shall go out from his
care to manage schools in the several sections of this
country. Mr. Cardoza was married to Miss Catherine
Romena Howell of New Haven, Connecticut, December,
1864. They have been blessed with six children— four
boys and two girls, both of whom died in infancy. Mr.
Cardoza is an educator of very fine talent ; is very digni-
fied in bearing, and polished in his manner. He was my

FRANCIS L. CARDOZA. 43J

professor in Latin while a junior in college, and I remem-
ber him as a courtly gentleman who treated his classes
with the greatest of kindness. It never occurred to me
that I might publicly thank him for his kindness and pa-
tience with two fun-loving students, especially one.

432 MEN OF MARK.

LIV

HON. JOHN S. LEARY, LL. B.

Attorney at Law — Legislator — United States Deputy Collector.

NORTH CAROLINA is well represented by the intelli-
gent, progressive and popular John S. Leary, who
was born at Fayetteville in that State, August 17, 1845.
His parents were named Matthew and Julia Leary His
father was born in North Carolina in 1797; his grand-
father was Aaron Revels, who was a free colored man and
a Revolutionary soldier in the American army. His mother
was born in France, and was six years old when her
parents came to this country in 1810. Mr. Leary had a
brother by the name of Louis Sheridan Leary, who was
with John Brown at Harper's Ferry and was killed there
October 17, 1859.

The subject of this sketch attended school in his native
town for a period of eight years prior to the civil war.
During the time he was under the care and instruction of
six different teachers, five of whom were white persons, and
one a colored woman. After quitting school he learned
the trade of a saddler and harness-maker in his father's
shop, who was a manufacturer, and carried on that busi-

E. S, PORTER.

JOHN S. LEARY. 433

ness for fifty years in Fayetteville. The steady habits and
business qualities of Mr. Leary, combined with strict hon-
esty, purity of life and fidelity to trusts, made him a very
popular man among all classes of citizens ; and in the year
1868 he was elected, from Cumberland county, a member
of the Legislature of the State of North Carolina. Having
served with satisfaction to all his friends for two years,
and having the good will of the opposing party, showing
great intelligence and deep foresight into the laws, and
promptly attending to every duty connected with the
office, made him a very strong candidate for the second
term, to which he was elected and served with singular
ability until the close of the session. In 1871 he went to
Washington, District of Columbia, and entered the Law
Department of Howard University, from which he grad-
uated with the title of LL. B. Here he was a favorite with
the members of every department of the institution ; his
gentlemanly manners, his politeness and high intellectual
attainments gave him the confidence and good will of all.
The writer remembers him at this period, being at that
time a member of the university. After graduation, he
returned home and was examined by the State Supreme
Court, and admitted to practice in all the courts of the
State, since which time he has continued in his profession.
He was alderman in the town of Fayetteville for two
years, namely, 1876—7 He was school committeeman for
a period of four years, both for white and colored schools
of the town, namely, 1878-79-80-81. He has attended as
a delegate from Cumberland county every Republican
State convention since the year 1867 ; was alternate dele-

434 MEN OF MARK.

gate to the National Republican convention held at
Chicago in 1880, and delegate to the National Republican
convention held at the same place in 1884.

Air. Leary was appointed United States deputy collector
for the fourth district of North Carolina, Internal Revenue
Department, May 1, 1881, which position he held for four
years, going out of office when Mr. Cleveland became
President of the United States. In the book published for
the benefit of the State in the way of bringing emigrants
thereto, Mr. Leary is given mention as one of the leading
men of the State. It says of him that he is a man of
influence among a large circle of people in the cit}- of Fay-
etteville and the State, and is well suited to hold positions
of trust; and in the Legislature of 1868 to '70, he voted
with the minority against the fraudulent bonds. He is
president of the North Carolina Industrial Association ; he
is an Odd Fellow, having joined the order in 1875, and
was a delegate to the A. M. C, which assembled in Rich-
mond, Virginia, in 1880. As honorary commissioner for
the State of North Carolina, for the colored department in
the World's Cotton Exposition, held in New Orleans in 1884,
he did much to show forth the industrial condition of the
colored people. He is a member of the Protestant Episco-
pal church, having been confirmed in 1867 He has been
married twice; his first wife was Miss Alice B. Thomas of
Raleigh, North Carolina, who died October 13, 1880; the
fruits of this union were two children, both dead. His
present wife was Miss Nannie E. Latham of Charlotte,
North Carolina, to whom he was married July 14, 1886.

JOHN S. LEARY. 435

He has a comfortable home in the city, a splendid law
library, and a small farm about two and a half miles from
the city- With these surroundings he dwells in the midst
of people who delight to honor him.

436 MEN OF MARK.

LV.
E. S. PORTER, A. B., M. D.

Physician on the Sanitary Force of Louisville, Kentucky — Medical
Attendant at the Orphans' Home and State University — Lecturer.

THIS quiet, unassuming gentleman has made his mark
as a dispenser of wisdom in the line of the healing art.
It was said of ^Esculapius ' ' that he was of a quick and lively
genius, and made such progress that he soon became not
only a great physician but was reckoned a god and inventpr
of medicine, and is said to have restored many to life. And
Jupiter is said to have feared that men, being put in posses-
sion of the means of triumphing over death, might refuse
honor to the gods ; so he struck ^Esculapius dead with a
thunderbolt, for which Apollo, the father of iEsculapius, de-
stroyed the Cyclops that forged the thunderbolt for Jove."
It used to be the colored people who, taking the place of
Tupiter, slew all colored physicians, so to speak. Though
these men had enlisted themselves in doing good for man-
kind, their traducers would declare that there were none
good ; no, not one. There seems to be among the same
class of our people a very foolish notion that nobody but
a white man can be a competent doctor, lawyer or profes-
sional man of any kind. This may be owing to their

E. S. PORTER. 437

training, but it is time that they had gotten* out of such
thoughts, for by holding such opinion they unwittingly
confess judgment and attribute the lack of skill in these
matters to the inferior^ of the race and color rather than
brains . And notwithstanding the difficulties which colored
physicians meet in attempting to practice, or rather, I
might say, had met (for many of these foolish prejudices
are passing away), many have risen to eminence.

Dr. Porter has succeeded in building up an extensive
practice, and still lives. The life of a doctor is full of in-
stances worthy of record, and while their professional
deeds of mercy are many, they go "unhonored and
unsung." Their losses also are heavy, and they can never
refuse to answer a call, for the ethics of the profession lead
them to relieve suffering at all times, pay or no pay.

He is the son of Jesse and Priscilla Porter, and was born
in the State of Delaware, October 19, 1848. This was the
place of his youthful days, for not until he was fourteen
years of age did he leave that "little monarchy " to make
his way in the world. Thence he went to New York.
Through the influence of a lady who took much interest in
him, he was led to undertake a classical course at Lincoln
University, Oxford, Pennsylvania. He began at the bottom
rounds and through seven years he made his way to the
graduating platform, where he was awarded his degree of
Bachelor of Arts. This was in 1873. Going back to New
York, he entered the Brooklyn Medical College, completing
the full course of medicine, anatomy, surgery and hospital
practice, and graduated with some distinction in his class
in 1876. While looking for some place to practice, he

43S MEN OF MARK.

wandered to the west and settled in Tennessee for one
year. Not finding it to his liking, he moved to Louisville
in 1878, and has there made a splendid reputation and
settled the question of lack of prosperity in the practice of
medicine. Contrary to the usual way, we have yet to find
a colored person who has no confidence in him as a physi-
cian. His practice is extensive and constantly increasing.

He was elected on the sanitary force of Louisville in the
years 1882, '83 and '84. He was chosen physician to the
Orphans' Home by the proper authorities in 1882, which
position he still holds. He is also physician to the State
University, and also lecturer on physiology and hygiene in
the same university. This position he has held since 1881,
and to the satisfaction of all concerned.

He was married to Miss Lucy Bohannon, March 20,
1884. She is one of the prominent members of the cele-
brated Fifth Street Baptist church choir, and contributes
very much to his success by her amiable manners, and she
presides over his home with dignity and grace.

The doctor himself is a genteel, refined man, and all who
know him love him. He is a special favorite with the
children, a thing to be commended — for no child ought to
be afraid of a doctor or a minister. His ability has never
been questioned by the practitioners in the city. He has
sat in counsel with Drs. E. D. Foree, William M. Griffith,
Thomas J. Griffith and P G. Trunnell. It would not be an
exaggeration to state that his future is very brilliant and
his chances for wealth very favorable.

AUGUSTUS TOLTON. 439

LVI.
REV AUGUSTUS TOLTON.

The First and Only Native American Catholic Priest of African Descent,
through both Parents, on the Continent.

A FEW months ago it was flashed over the wires that
Augustus Tolton had been ordained to the office of
priest in Rome. The papers took up the news and sang
the praise of the man who had by perseverance climbed to
a strange, new position for one of his nationality. Many
men of note have simply drifted with the current into
positions held by a father, but this man attracts us be-
cause the circumstances under which he achieved eminence
were far from the beaten paths made by the steady tramp
of hundreds who had gone before. The career of Rev.
Augustus Tolton is one of difficulties surmounted.

The subject of our sketch was born in Ralls county,
Missouri, April 1, 1854, of slave parentage. His father,
Peter Tolton, enlisted in the Union Army when the civil
war broke out, and died in the hospital in St. Louis. His
mother, Martha Jane Tolton, a Kentuckian by birth,
made a bold stroke for life and freedom shortly after.
After much planning, the day of decision came. Taking
the babe of twenty months in her arms, a daughter of

440 MEN OF MARK.

nine years, and little "Gussie" of seven to trudge by her
side, she journeyed night and day through almost desolate
regions and over almost impassable roads, with the swift
feet of a hunted deer Having crossed two counties her
feet almost touched free soil, when new danger arose.
On the banks of the Mississippi at Hannibal, they were
challenged as runaway slaves, but some Federal soldiers
interposed and smuggled her across the river that night.
Pausing long enough to draw one breath of fiee air, the
pilgrims dragged their weary limbs twenty-one miles far-
ther to Quincy, Illinois, the town in which he was reared
and from which he was called to Rome. Cradled amid
such events, schpoled during such a period, drinking aspi-
rations from such a mother, mighty energies and impulses
were sown for future reaping. Mrs. Tolton found no
hand to help feed the hungry mouths. She was sur-
rounded by poverty so grinding that at the age of seven
her boy was put in a tobacco factory and for twelve years
filled his father's place in providing for the younger chil-
dren.

During this period at odd times, when the factory would
close, in winter, and nights when others were sleeping, he
would be pouring over books, mastering this and that
study In 1872 his health failed, and acting on the advice
of friends he gave up the factory work, and devoted his
time exclusively to study The children were sent to St.
Boniface's and St. Peter's schools (white), but some race
trouble arising, they withdrew and entered Lincoln, a
non-Catholic school. The pastor of the church of which
Mrs. Tolton was a member, Father McGirr, hearing of

AUGUSTUS TOLTON.

AUGUSTUS TOLTON. 441

the difficulty, ordered their withdrawal and opened his
own school to colored children. This was about 1863.
As time passed, a wild hope took possession of Augustus.
His soul longed for the holy office of a priest, and on the
day of his first communion, when Father McGirr, who had
watched year after year the exceptional purity, talent and
goodness of the poor boy up to that time, suggested the
priesthood, his cup of joy was full — his mind made
up. Rev. Father Astrop and Rev. Theodore Wegmann
believing firmly that his vocation should be that of a
priest, urged his Latin studies, and instructed him, to-
gether with two German students, in Latin, Greek, Ger-
man, English, etc. He was considered the best in the
catechism class when he first communed, and now reads
and speaks German as fluently as English. All seemed
smooth sailing when suddenly his instructors are called to
new fields of labor. Are his hopes to be dashed to the
ground? No; in the dispensations of Providence we get
what is needed at the right time. A priest in Northern
Missouri hearing that Mrs. Tolton would make him a
suitable housekeeper secured her services, promising to
keep the son in his studies. The bargain proved a bad
one, and mother and son were soon back in Quincy, the
latter hard at work with the soda firm of J. J. Flynn &
Company, and studying before and after hours only as an
ambitious youth can, assisted by Father Reinhardt, in
charge of St. Mary's church and hospital, and two Fran-
ciscans, Fathers Francis and Engelbert. Although the
Franciscan College threw open its doors to him, poverty
prevented him attending except early and late, after

442 MEN OF MARK.

school hours, and then it was always a race with time,
first to the college, then to the hospital, and then to the
rectory chasing knowledge. The heavens for him were
again overcast. Rev. Reinhardt departed for another
field ; Father Engelbert could not keep the appointments
any longer. With his feet in the path to Propaganda
College, Rome, he could not turn back. An opening was
soon made. Says the St. Joseph's Advocate :

All credited the Rt. Rev. Peter Joseph Baltes, late bishop of Alton, to
which diocese Quincy belongs, as having sent Augustus Tolton to the
Propaganda College ; but Father Tolton himself speaks of a prior credit
as due to the Franciscans, and as having the higher claim to his grati-
tude. He names first of all in this connection the Rev. Father Michael
Richardt, 0. S. F., formerly of Quinc\-, but now of Teutopolis, Illinois,
who sends this valuable letter in answer to our inquiries :

St. Joseph's Diocesan College,
Teutopolis, Effingham County, Illinois, March 12, 1887.
Rev. and Dear Sir: —

I am in receipt of yoiir esteemed favor of the eighth hist., by which you
solicit information about Rev. August Tolton, the first colored priest of
this country. I made the acquaintance of Mr. August Tolton, at Quincy,
Illinois, about the year 1877 I then had formed the intention to do
something for the spiritual welfare of the colored people at Quincy. I
found Mr. August Tolton to be a pious, modest and studious young
man, and requested him to aid me in my undertaking, as I was not ac-
quainted with any body of the colored population. Soon he had a
number of children together, both of Catholic and Protestant parents,
whom I commenced to instruct in the Catholic religion every Sunday.
The first lessons I gave them in the parochial school-house of St.
Francis' congregation ; but, in a short time, for convenience sake, we
located our Sunday school in the centre of the city. The colored children
liked it so well that a proposition I made to them to open a free day
school was hailed with joy. Always assisted by Mr. August Tolton and
his worthy mother, an accomplished lady and devoted Catholic, I soon

AUGUSTUS TOLTON. 443

had a schoolroom in an abandoned schoolhouse of St. Boniface's congre-
gation, both Rev. J. Janssen, the rector of St. Boniface's congregation,
and good Catholics assisting me to furnish the same. At my request, the
Rev. Mother Caroline, superioress of the Sisters of Notre Dame at Mil-
waukee, appointed, gratuitously, Sister M. Herlinde to teach the school,
which we opened with twenty-one children. Notwithstanding the oppo-
sition and indignation meetings of the Methodist and Baptist colored
congregations, we soon had forty children, and within the next year
had, with the help of God, the happiness of solemnizing several times
baptisms, first communions, confirmations and marriages. When I,
compelled by overwork and nervous prostration, had to leave Quincy,
the school was closed for some time, but was re-opened by Rev. Theodore
Bruener, then rector of St. Boniface's church, and is ever since in exist-
ence, and yet conducted by the same faithful and zealous Sister M.
Herlinde, assisted by a candidate. Rev. Bruener secured also, not with-
out the help of the Franciscan Monastery of Quincy, Catholic worship
for the little colored congregation in the same schoolhouse, which had
been a Protestant church. Rev. August Tolton has at present charge of
the whole little and difficult mission.

Here you wish to know how it happened to pass that Mr. August
Tolton became a priest and who directed him to Rome. As far as I know,
I conceived that idea first and communicated it to the (late) Right Rev.
Bishop P. I. Baltes. When, soon thereafter, that prelate made his visit
"ad litniua Apostolorum," he tried to get the young student, Mr. A.
Tolton, into the Propaganda, but in vain. I then wrote to our Most
Rev. Father General, Most Rev. P. Bernardino, a Partu Rometino, who
resides at Rome, and he succeeded in securing Mr. A. Tolton's reception
into the College " De Propaganda Fide" where he soon thereafter began
and finally ended his studies. I had last summer the happiness to see
him a priest in New York City, just on his arrival from Rome. May it
please Divine Providence to achieve much good through Rev. A. Tolton.
for the salvation of the colored race in this country.

With the greatest respect I am, Dear Sir, yours in Christ,

P. Michael Richardt, 0. S. F.
Rector of St. Joseph's Diocesan College, Teutopolis, Illinois.

Spending several years there, he returned to the United

4-ti MEN OF MARK.

States, after having finished the course of study, bearing
the honors of priesthood and receiving a warm welcome
from the inhabitants of Quincy , where he is laboring. Says
the Washington People's Advocate :

The arrival in this country of an American-born black priest of the
Roman Catholic church, marks an era in the work of this church for the
evangelization of the Negro. To-day an ex-slave returns from Rome to
perform the priestly office in his native land, an evidence that the Eter-
nal church, whatever the popular belief as to its variable policy " all
things to all men " has planted its foot firmly against caste in the priest-
hood. Father Tolton is but the advance guard. We look forward to
see the day when the colored priests of the Catholic church will be as
numerous, proportionahy, as those of any other denomination, an i when
one in whose veins flows the blood of the land of St. Augustine, will
chant the pater noster before the altar of his memorial, the St. Augustine
church of this city.

When the ordination of Father Tolton was proclaimed,
a few secular journals discredited the statement that he
was the first native Africo-American set aside to the priest-
hood. They claimed that years previous Bishop England
proclaimed the first colored priest at Charleston, South
Carolina. The St. Joseph Advocate, a quarterly, of Janu-
ary, 1887, published by Father J. H. Green, Baltimore,
Maryland, in the interest of the colored people of the
United States, after much research says :

How easy to slip on historic ice ! Not a shred of probability that a
Charleston bishop with only one or two small churches at his See, would
or could afford the expense and risk of educating one for the priesthood,
who, by the constitution and laws of South Carolina, would not be
allowed to cross the border ! There is a tradition among Catholics in
Charleston that a priest of color on board a vessel bound for South
America, and which, by stress of weather was driven in^o that harbor,

AUGUSTUS TOLTON. 445'

was spared the honor of a police escort to the felon's hotel by the great
influence of Bishop England, who got permission to hold him in charge-
till his vessel got ready for sea. Even this is stoutly denied by one who
ought to know a thing or two, who resided in the very house of the
bishop at the time, and is still living, a nonagenarian in her perfect
senses ! Monsignor Corcoran does not believe one word of the Father
Paddington story in relation to Charleston ; and who knows more about
the past of his own city than the learned Dr. Corcoran ? Certainly no
other Catholic living, except it be the Rev. P, G. McGowan, now of
Arkansas, who resided in Charleston sixteen years, dating back all the
way to 1831, many years living with the great bishop on the banks of
the Ashley, and there ordained by him. Here before us is a letter from
this venerable priest dated the fifteenth instant, in which he says, " As to
the ordination of a black priest by Bishop England of pious memory, in
Charleston, and residing there, there was no such thing. So nothing of
the kind took place in my time nor since I left. It seems to me that
Bishop England ordained some colored priests in San Domingo or Hayt,
while visiting there two or three times in the performance of legatine
duties for Pope Gregory the Sixteenth, of pious memory, who held him in
great esteem." Bishop England took possession of that new See on the
last day of 1820, so our search for the needle in the bundle of straw
which hadn't it, from the year of his return to Ireland, "on a visit to
his native city, Cork," till the arrival of Father McGowan, is brought
down to a pretty fine point indeed (a point of time wholly inadequate
to the education and ordination of anybody) by this valuable letter,
which covers every inch of the chronological space back to 1831. Will
our contemporaries who have copied that fiction for history be good
enough to make the amende honorable by sending this messenger in
pursuit.

And then gives also the following notice :

And so we have in our midst to-day a colored priest, a
native American, once a slave and the son of slaves, one of the ante
helium "four millions" said to be incapable of education, moral habits
and what not, upon which assumption their degradation was boldly
justified; no hybrid, but the genuine article; a typical Africo- American,
the very one of all others we long to see chosen ; not your ideal octoroon

446 MEN OF MARK.

if possible, quadroon at the most, Caucasian in chiseling, Semitic in
coloring, a pinch-nosed, thin-lipped and straight-haired "look-at-me," as
if picked out for a compromise because of his proboscis and not of his
brains, to show well on a perch with that degree of gamboge which
comes nearest to whitewash when the stubbles are. removed, and he slips
out like a peeled onion, spruce, tidy, oil-tongued, a "nice young man,"
slippery and sanctimonious, 6f course. Nothing of the kind is Father
Tolton, as our perfect facsimile of his photograph shows; the vivid and
striking likeness of a solid man, true as steel, without a shadow of pre-
tension, well up in his sacred duties, able to converse and preach in more
than one language, humble as a child, boasting of his African blood, and
all aglow with devotion and love for his race. As he passes through the
streets of Quinc3r, white gentlemen raise their hats, and priests at tables
take back seats to give him the place of honor. We have seen it ; not
once or twice, but almost every time — MANHOOD ! And on the part of
the laity, what a plain act of faith in the power and wisdom of Christ's
Spouse on earth, which can and will elevate the lowest above the highest
and invest him with a dignity above that of the greatest earthly
potentate !

WILLIAM WELLS BROWN. 447

LVII.

WILLIAM WELLS BROWN, ESQ.

Author — Lecturer— Historian of the Negro Race — Foreign Traveler —
Medical Doctor.

LEXINGTON, Kentucky, has the honor of giving to
the world one of the most illustrious and earnest
men, who did much in his lifetime to distinguish himself as
well as to make known the virtues of the race, their origin
and history, and marked for special mention a few of its
eminent sons and daughters. Born of slave parents in
1816, he was in youth taken to St. Louis, Missouri, and
was hired to a steamboat captain. After a year or so he
was put in the printing office of Elijah P Lovejoy. Going
off on a steamboat, he escaped North. In 1834 he took
to boating again, and aided many a slave to Kansas
while acting as a steward. In 1843 he accepted an agency
to lecture for the Anti-Slavery Society and continued his la-
bors in connection with that mission until 1849, when he
took a trip to England. When it was understood that he
was going to England, the American Peace Society chose
him to represent them at the Peace Congress held in Paris.
The executive committee of the American Anti-Slavery
Society gave him strong recommendations to distin-

448 MEN OF MARK.

guished people in Britain. He set sail for England, July
18. 1849; arriving at Liverpool, proceeded at once to
Dublin, where he was warmly received and given a public
welcome. He spent many 3'ears in Europe and had con-
siderable attention paid him. He was an admirable pub-
lic speaker, and charmed large audiences at the Peace Con-
gress in Paris and in many gatherings in London. At
this congress Victor Hugo presided and Richard Cobden,
Esq., and such distinguished men paid him flattering
attention. Mr. Brown is known as an author and lec-
turer. On one occasion he visited his native State to
speak in both of the National associations for the sup-
port of temperance, and on the schools among freedmen.
After holding a meeting at Louisville he started on a trip to
speak at Pleasureville and was met by a colored man who
told him that the meeting was five miles in the country.
Following the man, they started to walk the distance, hav-
ing waited a long time for a conveyance that was said to
be coming for them. After some time they heard horses com-
ing before and behind them. He was finally captured by a
number of Ku-Klux and carried to a house where a man,
presumably one of their party, was afflicted with the de-
lirium tremens. The doctor's wit not forsaking him, he
said he could cure the man ; that he was a dealer in the
black art and well acquainted with the devil. Having his
doctor's case with him, he asked if he might be permitted
to go into a room by himself for awhile, which was granted.
While in there he charged his syringe with a solution of
acetate of morphia, and put the instrument in his vest
pocket. Returning to the room he requested the aid of

WILLIAM WELLS BROWN. 449

these men to hold the sick man while he made passes upon
him, as if mesmerizing him; very quickly injecting the
solution with his needle syringe into the man's leg, it was
but a short time before he was quiet. This produced a
wonderful impression upon them and saved his neck. His
power having already been displayed, the leader of the
band, who was called "Cap," was also suffering from a
pain in his thigh. The doctor offered to cure him, if he
would retire with him to the other room, which was done.
While in there he injected the solution into "Cap" who
soon fell asleep. All but one went away, giving him but a
few hours to live, and leaving one man, who was full of
whiskey, on guard. This one soon fell asleep and the
woman of the house knowing that they had set four
o'clock as the time to hang the doctor, kindly called the
dog in, which the doctor had been wondering how to dis-
pose of, and told him to leave, which the doctor was not
long in doing. He got to town and took the morning
train to Louisville, and decided never to return to that
neighborhood again.

The doctor is an author of many books, among which
maybe mentioned ' Sketches of Places and People Abroad,'
published in 1854; a drama entitled a 'Doe Face;' the
' Escape or Leap for Freedom ; ' ' The Black Man, ' published
in 1863, which ran through ten editions in three years,
' Clotelle,' a romance founded on fact., one of the most thrill-
ing that was ever written, the 'Negro in the Rebellion,'
published in 1866 ; ' The Rising Sun ' in 1874, and numer-
ous other works. In this last work he has given a sketch
of the race beginning with the Ethiopians and Egyptians,

450 MEN OF MARK.

describing the slave-trade of Hayti and the republic of
Liberia ; John Brown's raid on Harper's Ferry ; proclama-
tion of Freedom ; the blacks enlisted in battle ; the aboli-
tionists and representative men of the race. His services
to the race cannot be estimated. Few men have done as
much b}r their writings as he to elevate and instruct his
people. His books were very extensively read and brought
quite a large sum of money, many of them running through
more than ten editions.

WALTER F. CRAIG. 451

LVIII.

PROFESSOR WALTER F CRAIG.

Solo Violinist — Orchestra Conductor.

HE was born in Princeton, New Jersey, December 20,
1854. » His parents, Charles A. and Sarah E. Craig,
moved to New York City in 1861, where he entered the
Grammar school No. 4, Mrs. S. J. S. Garnet, principal. He
graduated in 1869. He was always apt and smart
in school. He was especially bright in mathematics,
grammar, history, drawing, etc., and was the leading
singer of the school. He commenced the study of violin
playing and music in 1868, and made his debut before a
New York audience as a violinist at a concert in Cooper
Union in 1870. From that time he rapidly improved, and
organized the orchestra known as "Craig's Orchestra" in
1872. He then gradually worked his way to the rank of a
first-class musician and conductor, and now enjoys the
honoi of being the representative colored violin soloist and
musical director of the race. His orchestra is quoted as
being second to none, and his fame as a soloist extends
throughout the entire United States and also some foreign
^countries. He has performed and conducted in all the

-±52 MEN OF MARK.

principal cities, such as Boston, Philadelphia, Brooklyn,
Providence, Newport, New York, Trenton, Scranton,
Pennsylvania; YVilkesbarre, Pennsylvania; Washington,
D. C; and Baltimore, Maryland; and all through the
States of Maine, New Hampshire, Connecticut and other
New England States. He has appeared in the most
prominent concerts in the city of New York, and with all
the greatest colored talent, such as Madame Selika, Mrs.
Nelly Brown Mitchell, Adelaide G. Smith and Flora
Batson ; and with such eminent male voices as Mr. L. L.
Brown, the famous basso; Mr. William I. Powell, the cele-
brated baritone and humorist; Thomas Chestnut, the
famous tenor. Mr. Craig is also a composer of music, and
has given great attention to harmony under the best
teacher in this country, Air. C. C. Muller, a German. He
has a large number of compositions, and has arranged
music in every form, both vocal and instrumental, and is
concert master of the Mendelssohn School of Music, and is
the first and only colored conductor who is a member of
the Musical Mutual Protective Union of New York Citv,
of which such men as T S. Gilmore, Dr. Damroseh, Cappa
and Theo. Thomas are associate members. His orchestra
and himself are unrivaled at present in the country He is
also a manager of some repute in New York Cit\-, and has
given and managed some of the most noted musical affairs
ever put upon the stage in the great metropolis. When he
appeared in Lexington Avenue opera house, October 29,
1886, the New York Freeman said of this distinguished
musician :

WILLIAM F. CRAIG. 453

Professor William F. Craig, the young prince of Negro violinists,
mounted the elevated platform and waved his bow over the twenty-
musicians, and his enthusiastic admirers let forth a perfect storm of
applause. The music was of the very best, and judging from the con-
stant applause the musical appetites of the audience could not be easily
appeased.

When he appeared in Steinway Hall, January 20, 1887,
the New York Herald said :

Mr. W- F. Craig, the violinist, is well known to New York audiences
as a perfect master of his instrument. His performances of the " Fan-
taisie of Faust" and "De Beriot's Seventh Air Varie" were marked by
exquisite harmony, firm yet delicate.

September 20, 1886, the New York World pays a com-
pliment to Mr. Craig as follows :

Walter F. Craig, who is from home visiting a sick relative, is the
musician of the race. He was the first colored man who ioined the
Musicians' Protective Union of this city. He is a composer and violinist
and leads an orchestra reputed good.

He is about twenty-seven years old, and was graduated
from the Seventeenth Street Grammar school. His
orchestra furnished the music for the grand dramatic
festival and full dress ball at the time when Mr. J A.
Arneaux appeared in the complete cast as Richard III,
October 29, 1886, at Lexington Avenue opera house.

It can be seen from these testimonials that Mr. Craig has
a reputation that is not without a true basis. Ranking
very high in the scale of musical eminence.

454

MEN OF MARK.

LIX.

REV CHARLES L. PURCE, A. B.

President of the Selma University, Selma, Alabama.

IN 1856,. at Charleston, South Carolina, Mrs. Ellen
Puree, the wife of William Puree, gave birth to Charles
L. Puree, the subject of this sketch. His mother was a
slave and his father hired her time in order that she might
be able to live with him. In youth Mr. Puree had very
many trials and hardships, consequent upon his parents'
poverty At fourteen he learned a trade. In 1875 he was
converted and immersed by the Rev Jacob Lagare. In
1878 and '79, he attended Benedict Institute, under the
tuition of Rev Lewis Colby, D. D., and graduated from
the Richmond Seminary after four years' studv under the
teaching of Rev Charles H. Corey, D. D. His class num-
bered fourteen. Two of that number went to Africa as
missionaries, the Rev. J. J Coles and the Rev J. H. Pres-
ley. After graduation, in 1883, he held the pastorate of a
large church of eleven hundred members at Society Hill,
South Carolina, which he resigned to accept the chair of
Greek and Latin at the Selma University, at Selma Ala-
bama, November, 1886. Since his graduation he has
studied Hebrew, and taken a supplementary Greek course

CHARLES L. PURCE. 455

through the Correspondence Bureau. He is a hard stu-
dent, and has made it the aim of his life to be always
studying and learning a portion of his time every day.
His motto is naturally ' ' Dies Sine Linea. ' ' The most of his
education he paid for himself by hard work, both in and out
of school and often consoled himself with the thought that if
he could, with the many hardships which he had, he would
educate himself. Surely many of those young people who
have more opportunities need not stay away from school
or fall short of equipping themselves for life's battles. He
delivered the Baccolaureate sermon at Lincoln Normal
University, the State Normal, at Marion, Alabama, June,
1884. It was the best ever delivered there. The chair-
man of the board complimented him by saying it was
"Bullion's Grammar," meaning thereby that it was a
specimen of grammatical and literary excellence. He has
a wife and one child. He was married in Philadel-
phia, by the Rev. William C. Dennis, January 7, 1885.
On the resignation of E. M. Brawley, D. D., he was pro-
moted to the presidency of the Selma University by the
unanimous vote of the board, which was endorsed unani-
mously by the General Convention of the Baptists of the
State of Alabama. The position which he now holds
gives assurance of a wide field of extended usefulness both
for himself and for the university He is a man of strictly
temperate habits, very quiet in his demeanor, earnest in
his purposes and devoted to the causes which ought to be
of interest to all. He has good influence over the students
who admire him for the perseverance with which he has
risen from poverty to a position of influence and useful-

456 MEN OF MARK.

ness. His life ought to be a lesson to every student. It
ought to be an inspiration to every poor boy and none
need despair. Though the road be hard, there is hope for
all as is proven by the career of Mr Puree. His scholastic
habits, sound judgment and diligent application to busi-
ness gives assurances of a magnificent future. Let Ala-
bama take pride in her distinguished president who shall
preside over the destinies of many of her future sons and
daughters.

CHAS. L. PURCE.

ALEXANDER DUMAS. 457

LX.

ALEXANDER DUMAS.

Distinguished French Negro — Dramatist and Novelist — Voluminous
Writer.

VERY few colored people know Alexander Dumas as
one of the family, not being thoroughly acquainted
■with the absence of colorphobia in foreign countries. He
has become so distinguished that his name enters into the
ranks of the literati without question as to color, and no
one asks what his color is, but simply refers to his works.
The prolific French novelist and dramatist was the son of
Alexander, who was himself the son of Marquis Davy de
la Pailleterie and a Negro girl, Louisa Dumas of San
Domingo. The mother of Dumas was named Marie
LaBouret, an innkeeper's daughter, who was very fair,
and it is a fact that some of the most tender and touching
lines of his memoirs are those which refer to the boyhood
days when she cared for him. It is truly remarkable what
part the mothers play in the history of men's lives. It is
said that the father of Demosthenes was a blacksmith;
Euripides, a dealer in vegetables; Socrates, a mediocre
sculptor ; Columbus, a woolcarder ; Shakespeare, a
butcher; Cromwell, a brewer; and of Linneus,.a poor

458 MEN OF MARK.

country minister ; but the greatness of these men has been
accorded by those who speak of them, to the gentility of
their mothers.

The family was very poor, and about 1823 he entered
Paris, where he was destined to do such marvelous literary
work as would astonish its citizens. By looking at several
authorities, there seems to be a difference of opinion as to
what is bad among his writings, but it does not materially
interfere with the facts, and does not, therefore, play much
part in what I am about to say. At fifteen he was a
clerk ; at eighteen he began writing ; he wrote much, but
at first received no praise nor compensation for his work,
but in 1826, when he was only twenty-four years old, his
fame as an author began with the 'Novelles.' In 1829 he
put on the stage an historical play "Henry III, etsacour,"
which met the sharpest shafts of the critics because he dis-
regarded all the stage proprieties of the times, but gained
the applause of the populace and brought thousands to
his purse. The Duke of Orleans led the applause, and so
pleased and interested was he in this play when put upon
the stage that he appointed Dumas as his librarian.

Dumas was now on the topmost wave of success. His
best known works are ' Les Trois, ' ' The Three Musketeers,'
in eight volumes, 'Monte Christo,' twelve volumes, and
Le Reine Margot,' six volumes. Much of his literature is
classed as immoral. It might be considered immoral in
America, but certainly is not considered so in France,
and perhaps the times in which he lived had something to
do with the character of his writings. Whatever may be
said of him, his name cannot be omitted from the triumphs

ALEXANDER DUMAS. 45'^

of literature. It is said that his name is attached to over
twelve hundred separate works. Says the 'American
Encyclopedia':

In 1846 he made a contract to furnish two newspapers with an
amount of manuscript equal to sixty volumes a year, and this exclusive
of his plays and other productions. Such fecundity raised the question
whether he was really the author of the books attached to his name. A
lawsuit in which he was involved in 1847 with the contractors of the
Presse and Constitutionnel, brought to light the fact that he had engaged
to furnish these journals with more volumes than a rapid penman could
even copy. But though he made liberal use of the talents of assistants,
he claimed sufficient share in the plan and execution of all the work to
make it truly his own, and the judicial decision finally supported his
claim. Herein the generosity of Dumas is shown, for it was his custom
whenever a poor author with no reputation desired his assistance he
often gave him a plot, drawing all the outlines and scenes, and permitted
him to work it up, after which Dumas put his name to it and the poor
author reaped the pecuniary benefit. There is another Dumas, the son
of the distinguished dramatist, now living in France, who was born July
28, 1824, and who has inherited some of his father's talent. He was
elected a member of the French Academy in 1875. He is the result of a
union between his father and Ida Ferrier, an actress of Porte Saint
Martin, in 1842.

Sketches of all three Dumas will be found in vari-
ous places, but of the father of this younger Dumas see
the 'American Encyclopedia,' 'Encyclopedia Britannica,'
'Chamber's Encyclopedia,' and a sketch of the 'Life and
Adventures of Alexander Dumas,' by Perry Fitzgerald, in
1873.

460 MEN OF MARK.

LX1.

"REV WILLIAM REUBEN PETTIFORD.

A Successful Pastor — Trustee of Selma University.

THIS popular and influential pastor deserves mention
for the trouble he has had to overcome and make
his life successful. Hard, persevering labor and strong
faith in the Almighty has wrought miracles for him, and
through him many things. He was born in North Caro-
lina, Granville county, January 20, 1847 His parents,
William and Matilda Pettiford, were free, and consequently
he followed the condition of his parents, and was free.
While a boy, he had little opportunity more than getting
a few lessons on Saturdays and Sundays ; at ten years of
age he could read very well. His parents sold their little
farm and removed to Person count}', North Carolina,
where he had the benefit of private instruction, by which a
fair knowledge of the common branches was obtained.
Being the oldest child, a part of the burdens of the family
were placed on his shoulders ; but all the time he continued
his studies and would get help here and there from indi-
viduals. The rigorous duties of the farm were indeed a
heavy task, but, nothing daunted, only served as the

WILLIAM REUBEN PETTIFORD. 461

means to rise in the hands of this struggling young man.
Those days seem now as many of the best; they toughened
his muscles, gave him confidence and patience. With all
this he has become an ambitious and hard working min-
ister. Converted July 4, 1868, and baptized August 3,
1868. by Ezekiel Horton, in Salisbury, North Carolina,
that life was begun which made of the rude farmer boy
an apostle of Christ and an upright, honest man. Soon
the place of clerk to the Pleasant Grove church of which
he was a member was vacant, and he was elected to the
vacancy by unanimous vote. July 4, 1869; the young
man was married to Miss Mary Jane Farley, daughter of
Joseph Farley.

Scarcity of business forced him to change his place of
residence from North Carolina to Selma, Alabama, Decem-
ber, 3, 1869, where his knowledge of farming and books
secured him work near Uniontown, not only as a farm
hand but as a teacher. Affliction came to him in the loss
of the partner of his bosom on March 8, 1870, only about
eight months of married life having been enjoyed. This
determined his course in getting further education ; with a
slender purse but strong arms and a full heart, he entered
the State Normal school at Marion, Alabama, and re-
mained seven years, teaching in vacations to secure the
necessary means to pay expenses the following year. Once
illness came on and the term opening, found no money on
hand with which to commence; but nothing daunted, a
job of work was sought ; a garden was found in which he
worked hard two and a half hours before and after school
at ten cents an hour. This enabled him to get through

462 MEN OF MARK.

the year with 011I3- nine dollars debt. This seems a clear
demonstration of the fact that if parents will teach their
children some kind of work while young, it will help them
to rise in the world. It is also evident that his knowledge
of farming brought him from the barn-yard to the pulpit ;
from the "countr\- school " to a membership of the Board
of Trustees of a university

His church membership was now with the Baptist church
at Marion, Alabama, where he gained favor with the
brethren by attending prayer meetings and conducting
revivals, and was licensed to preach March 6, 1879. July
24, 1873, he was married to Mrs. Jennie Powell at Marion,
Alabama, who died September 5, 1874. For the second
time he was afflicted, for after a short season of connubial
bliss she departed this life. As principal of the school at
Uniontown, assisted by the Rev. John Dozier and Mrs.
Florence Billingslea, his faithful laborers, the gentleman
had great success, which, however, was resigned in 1877,
so he might enter college and finish his education. Here
his course was successful until 1878, when the trustees at
Selma Institute, now a university, elected him a teacher at
twenty dollars per month, with the privilege of studying
theology under Brother W H. W'oodsmall, who was the
president ; this he accepted, but added to these duties the
privileges of those of sub-agent. In November, 1879, the
Board at the State Convention in its session at Opelika,
elected him general financial agent; this was well done,
for more funds were collected than ever before. During
the first year, contrary to the unanimous wish of the
trustees, he resigned to accept the pastorate of Union

WILLIAM REUBEN PETTIFORD. 463

Springs, Alabama. November 23, 1880, he was again
married, to Miss Delia Boyd, a daughter of Richard and
Caroline Boyd of Selma, Alabama.

He received a letter of dismission froni the First Baptist
church of Marion, Alabama, and united with the St.
Philips Street Baptist church, at whose request he was
ordained to the Gospel ministry, November 21, 1880.
Rev. W A. Burch, then pastor, preached the ordination
sermon; Rev- W H. McAlpine gave the charge. These
-took part also with Revs. H. Stevens and John Dozier in
the laying on of the hands after a rigid examination, as-
sisted bv Brother H. Woodsmall. He then moved to
Union Springs, and here his first work was to release a
church of a large debt and to repair and refit the edifice.
The membership also was largely increased. At this place
his first heir, Carry Bell Pettiford, was born, September
22, 1882. During this time he continued pursuing the
study of theology under private tuition and was principal
of the city school. On the last Sabbath of February,
1883, he resigned this charge to accept a call to the Six-
teenth Street church at Birmingham, being urged to ac-
cept it by many of the leading men of the State, who
represented to him that he could render the best service to
the church in the larger field which this great progressive
city afforded. The church at Union Springs refused to
accept his resignation, and the pulpit was not perma-
nently filled until the year after. When he took charge in
Birmingham, there was only a membership of about one
hundred and fifty, and the church was holding services in a
down-town store room ; while the debt amounted to five

464 MEN OF MARK.

hundred dollars. His first effort was directed to canceling
the debt and erecting a building suitable to present needs
and to future growth. This was a work of no light un
dertaking. Being "cordially received by all classes of citi
zens, he was much encouraged in the work. By August
1884, the indebtedness was all paid off, and a building
fund raised. August 18, the first stone for the new
structure was laid, and on the ninth of November services
were held in it. The collection on that day amounted to £
large sum. The building is large, being 40x80, and sub
stantially built, and when completed will prove an orna
ment to the architectural beauty of the city. Up to the
present writing there has been seven thousand dollars
paid upon the property, and on account of the recent rise
in property in Birmingham, the building could not be pur-
chased in its present localit}' for twenty-five thousand
dollars. The total membership of the church is now four
hundred and twenty-five.

His family consists of wife and three children. His wife
is a lady of education, full of energy and push, and in all
his labors contributes ver}' largely by way of encourage-
ment and material help. At present he is president of the
Ministerial Association in Birmingham, and also a mem-
ber of the trustee board of Selma University ; president
of the Negro American Publishing Company, publishing
the Xegro American Journal of that city

Materially he has prospered; the wonderful growth of
that city and rapid advancement in the price of real estate
have benefited him so that his property on Sixteenth
street is valued at eight thousand dollars. Besides this

VV R. PETTIFORD.

WILLIAM REUBEN PETTIFORD. 465

he has half interest in another piece of real estate of which
the total valuation is placed at twenty thousand dollars.
The reverend gentleman has always so comported himself
as to gain the recommendation of the State officials and of
all with whom he associates. Of him Brother. H. Wood-
small says, in a letter of recommendation to the American
Baptist Home Mission Society :

I take special pleasure in commending Rev. W. R. Pettiford, pastor of
the Colored Baptist church, Birmingham, as a minister worthy of the
Christian regard and confidence of all whom it may concern. I have
known him during the past eight years ; he was assistant teacher and a
pupil in the Alabama Baptist Normal Theological school at Selma
about three years, during the time I had charge of that institution. He
was for quite awhile financial agent of the school and collected a large
amount of money. He not only made a successful agent but faithfully
accounted for all monies collected. He was equally faithful as a mission-
ary, and I have always found him a man of admirable spirit, as well as
honest and trustworthy. His influence can but be good in any commu-
nity where he may labor. I regard it as a specially fortunate thing for
the Baptist cause that he is pastor of one of the leading churches in
Birmingham at this time.

No man in the United States has better means of know-
ing the general worth of Southern ministers than the
brother who writes the above letter. He has lectured to
more colored ministers in the South in any one year than
perhaps any other Southern missionary has in any five
years, and his testimony is acceptable in every district in
the South where he has labored.

466 MEN OF MARK.

LXII.

HON. ROBERT B. ELLIOTT

Congressman — Eloquent Orator — Distinguished Disciple ofBlackstone.

THE most scholarly Negro in any of the United States
Congresses was the Hon. Robert Brown Elliott.
His fame has been heralded to all quarters of the globe.
He was a man of ability and unquestionable intelligence.
His eloquence and logic carried his hearers into transports
of joy, and swept his enemies before him like chaff before
the wind. South Carolina sent more Congressmen to
Washington than any Southern State — Rainej', Ransier,
Smalls, Cain, DeLarge — but Elliott was easily chief in
learning, knowledge of law and the arts of debate.

This distinguished lawyer, orator and member of the
United States House of Representatives, was born in
Boston, Massachusetts, August 11, 1842. His parents
were West Indians who had settled in this country While
a boy, he attended private school in his native city.
Shortly after this he was sent to the Island of Jamaica,
where he had superior advantages in the grammar schools.
Thence he was sent to England, and in 1853 he entered
Hi<di Hoibon Academy, London. Three years later he
was admitted to the celebrated Eton, one of the colleges

ROBERT B. ELLIOTT. 467

of the University of London, from which he graduated
with high rank in 1859. Adopting the law as a profession,
he began stud\r under Sergeant Fitz Herbert of the London
bar. He soon returned to the United States and began
the foundation of that illustrious career which made him
the centre of attraction. His eminent teachers, travels in
Ireland, Scotland, South America and the West Indies, had
broadened his views of life and ripened his understanding.
Choosing South Carolina as his home, he commenced his
life work there as a printer on the Charleston Leader, which
afterwards became the Missionary Record, owned by the
lamented and eminent Bishop R. H. Cain, D. D. Soon Air
Elliott became editor, and his powers were shown in the
masterly articles he produced. When Congress began the
reconstruction of the South, Elliott's eloquence and wis-
dom was in demand in South Carolina. He was elected
to the convention from the Edgefield district. For fourteen
days after the Constitutional Convention had met, he said
not a word. This was his first public service under the
election of the people, but when he did speak, it was the
making of him. After the adoption of the Constitution he
was elected from Barnwell county to the Lower House of
the State Legislature, serving from July 6, 1868, to Oc-
tober 23, 1870. The governor of the State appointed him
assistant adjutant-general of the State, March 25, 1869,
which he held until elected a representative from South
Carolina to the Forty-second Congress of the United
States as a Republican, receiving 20,564 votes against
13,997 votes for J. E. Bacon, a Democrat. He served until
March 4, 1871, when he resigned. During this session he

468 MEN OF MARK.

made a most excellent impression on the country ; nailed
Beck, the member from Kentucky, to the wall, tingled the
ears of Harris from Virginia, sent the following shaft full
in the face of Alexander Stephens and drove him from the
House. Said he :

I meet him only as an adversary, nor shall age or any other consider-
ation restrain me from saying that he now offers this government, which
he has done his utmost to destroy, a very poor return for its magnani-
mous treatment, to come here to seek to continue, by the assertion of
doctrines obnoxious to the true principles of our government, the bur-
dens and oppressions which rests upon five millions of his country-men,
who never fail to lift their earnest prayers for the success of this govern-
ment, when the gentleman was seeking to break up the union of their
States, and to blot the American Republic from the galaxy of nations.

I will give a passage taken from a very fine "Eulogy on
the Life and Public Services of R. B. Elliott," delivered by
Professor D. A. Straker, LL. D., Columbia, South Caro-
lina, September 24, 1884. Mr. Straker was formerK- a
law partner of Mr. Elliott, and is competent to speak of
his life :

There was none abler to defend the rights of the INegro race against
the opposition of Georgia's famous son than Robert Brown Elliott. This
legislative battle for equal rights was an event in the history of the
United States— nay, of the world— never before witnessed. There stood
in the halls of Congress the representatives of divergent principles and
conflicting ideas about human rights. There stood slavery and freedom,
the advocates of rights for the white man onl}' and the advocate of equal
rights for all citizens before the law. Face to face stood the Anglo-
Saxon and the undoubted African. The issue was before them; thecontest
began. Mr. Stephens was brought in the House in the accustomed
manner— in his chair. He was even in such a condition looked upon as a
giant among the Democratic Philistines. He severely arraigned the con-
stitutionality of the Civil Rights bill and its policy, as did Mr. Beck of

ROBERT B. EIXIOTT. 469

Kentucky and Mr. Harris of Virginia, who indulged in great bitter-
ness of speech. At the cjose of Mr. Stephens' speech in the House of Rep-
resentatives, now filled in every possible manner with United States
Senators, who had suspended their labors to witness this sight, foreign
ministers, judges, lawyers, clergymen, scientists, authors and the laity
innumerable, all were there to witness the political miracle, and if God
was God to worship Him, and if Baal was God to worship. him. Eager
eyes were fixed, doubting hearts pulsated with accelerated motion, when
at last Air. Elliott arose and in reply to Mr. Stephens, said: "Mr.
Speaker: While I am sincerely grateful for the high mark of courtesy that
has been accorded me by this House, it is a matter of regret to me that
it is necessary at this day that I should rise in the presence of an Ameri-
can Congress to advocate a bill which simply asserts rights and equal
privileges for all classes of American citizens. I regret, sir, that the dark
hue of my skin may lend a color to the imputation that I am controlled
by motives personal to myself in my advocacy of this great measure of
natural justice. Sir, the motive that impels me is restricted by no such
narrow boundary, but is as broad as your Constitution. I advocate it,
sir, because it is right. The bill, however, not only appeals to your
justice but it demands a response to your gratitude. In the events that
led to the achievement of American independence, the Negro was not an
inactive or unconcerned spectator. He bore his part bravely upon many
battlefields, although uncheered by thatcertain hope of political elevation
which victory would secure to the white man. The tall granite shaft, which
agratified State has reared aboveits sons who fell in defending FortGris-
wold against the attack of Benedict Arnold, bears the name of John
Freeman and others of the African race who then cemented with their
blood the corner-stone of your Republic. In the State which I have had
the honor in part to represent, the rifle of the black man rang out against
the troops of the British crown in the darkest days of the American
Revolution." In these words every man saw the greatness, the ability,
and the patriotism of the speaker. Mr. Elliott then continued his
speech, addressing himself to the legal, constitutional, political and
social features of the Civil Rights bill, in wbich he completely annihilated
the Georgia statesman. He then paid his attention to Mr. Beck of Ken-
tucky, who had during the debate endeavored to cast odium upon the
Negro, and to vaunt the chivalry of his own State, little thinking that

470 MEN OF MARK.

there was in a Negro's brain or intelligence a foeman in retort worthy of
his steel. Mr. Elliott reminded the Kentucky statesman that in the
second war of American independence General Jackson reported of the
white Kentucky soldiers that " at the very moment when the entire dis-
comfiture of the enemy was looked for, with a confidence amounting to
certainty, the Kentucky reinforcements, in whom so much reliance had
been placed, ingloriously fled." And, with the culture of a well-skilled
debater, Mr. Elliott then turned to Mr. Beck and said: " In quoting this
indisputable piece of history, I do so only by way of admonition, and not
to question the well-attested gallantry of the true Kentuckian, and to
suggest to the gentleman that he should not flaunt his heraldry so
proudly while he bears this barsinister on the military escutcheon of his
State — a State which answered the call of the Republic in 1861, when
treason thundered at the very gates of the Capital, by coldty declaring
her neutrality in the impending struggle. The Negro, true to that
patriotism that has ever characterized and marked his history, came to
the aid of the government in its effort to maintain the Constitution.
To that government he now appeals, that Constitution he now in-
vokes for protection against unjust prejudices founded upon caste."

He was re-elected to the Forty-third Congress as a Re-
publican, receiving 21,627 votes against 1094 votes for
\V H. McCan, Democrat, serving from December 1, 1873,
to May, 1874, when he resigned to accept the very lucra-
tive position of sheriff. In the second Congress of which
he was a member, he delivered, April, 1871, his famous
and long to be remembered speech on the " Bill to Enforce
the Provisions of the Fourteenth Amendment to the Con-
stitution," or better known as the "Ku Klux Bill." May
30, 1872, he again wrestled with the giants, and smote
them "hip and thigh." Voorhees and Beck felt the sting of
his words when he hurled the most fitting rebuke at them
after thev had made strictures on the financial condition
of the State government of South Carolina. He returned

ROBERT B. ELLIOTT. 471

home and was elected to the Legislature again. General
Elliott made some mistakes in life in being easily deceived
by men who used his talents to prop their tottering for-
tunes. Mr. Straker said:

ut although himself unstained by any charge or charges by any court,
he did not forget his political associates less fortunate, and whenever
one was found in the coils of Democratic accusation, he freely gave what
assistance he could to his release, both as a lawyer and a former political
friend. In this service he did not stop to ask whether the Republican in
trouble was his friend or not. Frequently it happened that he was his
bitterest political foe and detractor of his just merits ; yet he stood by
him in his hour of trial, and gave him what advice he could. He was
counsel in several cases in which these political trials occurred, and yet
a few base detractors would rob him of his good name. And why, sir ?
Because " base envy withers at another's joy, and hates that excellence
it cannot reach." When the din and roar of Democratic political perse-
cution had ended, and the fire of their revenge had been quenched, .Gen-
eral Elliott's public life still remained untouched by legal accusation.
Mr. Elliott then ceased political life and continued the practice of his
profession, contenting himself with the pleasant reeollection of having
done his public duty faithfully and impartially.

In 1881 General Elliott was appointed by Hon. John
Sherman, secretary United States treasury, special agent of
the treasury, with headquarters at Charleston, South Caro-
lina. As a delegate to the National Republican conven-
tion at Chicago, June, 1879, he seconded the nomination
of John Sherman for President of the United States. When,
therefore, Garfield fell by the hand of the assassin, a
change of administration threw him out of office, though
he had been first transferred to New Orleans, Louisiana.
He re-entered his profession there, having a branch office
in Pensacola, Florida, conducted by Messrs. DeTucker &

472 MEN OF MARK.

Thompson. He was a very, brilliant Mason, and did much
to re-establish its societies in South Carolina. He laid
down his life in the city of New Orleans, August 9, 1884,
11 p m., and was buried with ancient rights and cere-
monies, on Sunday, August 10, 1884. The Plaindealer,
Robert Pelham editor, said of him :

With Robert B. Elliott has passed away one of the brightest types of
American manhood and Negro capability. He was a model of the possi-
bilities of a race ; pushing against the tide of opposition, he reached an
eminence in scholarship and oratory which is enjoyed by a few only. H'
was qualified to meet the demands of the times and grasp them. This
he always did. In the halls of Congress he held the representatives
spell-bound by his eloquence. In his social life he was affable and court-
eous. He was a born leader, made so by indomitable will and untiring
energy. In his passing away, he leaves an influence that will inspire
many to persevere, and his teaching will continue to develop nobler and
truer conceptions of an exalted manhood, such as would be worthy to
occupy the position before the American people that he has filled so
creditably.

Eloquent men pay tribute to eloquent men, and hence
"The Old Man Eloquent" pays the following tribute to
General Elliott, in the New York Globe :

Living as I have done, in an atmosphere of doubt and disparagement
of the abilities and possibilities of the colored race, early taught that
ignorance and mental weakness were stamped by God upon the mem-
bers of that race, Robert Brown Elliott was to me a most grateful sur-
prise, and in fact a marvel. Upon sight and hearing of this man, I was
chained to the spot with admiration and a feeling akin to wonder.

There was no doubt as to complexion, form or feature. To all out-
ward seeming, he might have been an ordinary Negro, one who might
have delved as I have done, with spade and pickaxe. Yet from under his
dark brow there blazed an intellect worthy of a place in the highest
legislative hall of the Nation. I have known but one other black man to

ROBERT B. ELLIOTT. 473

be compared with Elliott, and that was Samuel R. Ward, who, like
Elliott, died in the midst of his 3rears. The thought of both men makes
me sad. We are not over rich with such men, and we may well mourn
when one such has fallen. I, with thousands who knew the ability of
young Elliott, was hoping and waiting to see him emerge from his late
comparative obscurity and take his place again in the halls of Congress.
But alas ! he is gone, and we can only hope that the same power that
.gave us one Elliott will give us another in the near future.

Frederick Douglass.

47-t MEN OF MARK..

LXIII.

PROFESSOR INMAN EDWARD PAGE, A. B., A. M.

Principal of Lincoln Institute — Oratorial Prize Winner at Brown Univer-
sity, Providence, Rhode Island.

PROFESSOR PAGE was born under the yoke of slavery
in the town of Warrenton, Fauquar county, Virgi-
nia, December 29, 1853. His parents were named Horace
and Elizabeth Page. In early childhood he exhibited
strong moral affections which have grown as he has
advanced in years ; although often placed under the con-
trol of persons who were in the habit of drinking intoxi-
cating liquors, yet his invariable practice was to refuse
when such liquors were offered him. This habit of total
abstinence he has carried from childhood into manhood,
and he has become a man of soberness as well as sobriety
Horace Page moved his family to Washington, District of
Columbia, in 1862. The opportunity here presented itself
to Inman, and he was sent to the private school of Mr.
George F T Cook, which he attended a little over three
years, and where he made a good record. He was hired
out for several years, and in this way helped to support
the family During this time he attended night school
taught by the late Professor George B. Vashon, from

INMAN EDWARD' PAGE. 475

whom he obtained an elementary knowledge of the Latin
language. Soon after the opening of Howard University,
young Page resolved* to enter it as a student. His father
being unable to pay for him, he went to the university and
applied for work which he obtained immediately At that
time the university grounds had not been graded and the
authorities were willing to employ industrious students
to do the work. Although quite young and unaccus-
tomed to this kind of labor, Inman, nothing daunted, full
of ambition, went to work as an ordinary laborer at the
rate of fifteen cents per hour. He continued to work in this
way until the beginning of the summer vacation, when he,
with a few other students, decided to continue this work
during the entire vacation. His zeal for study soon gave
him a promotion to a janitorship, which he held until he
was placed in charge of the university building. When
General 0. 0. Howard was closing the affairs of the Freed-
men's Bureau, Page was employed as one of his clerks.
In this way he was enabled to attend the university until
1873. In the fall of 1873 he entered Brown University, at
Providence, Rhode Island, he and his friend George
W Milford being the first colored students to enter that
institution. Although he met with considerable prejudice,
both from students and professors, he continued to strug-
gle and at the close of the sophomore year succeeded in
winning a prize in an oratorical contest, which established
his claim for recognition ; and to emphasize their endorse-
ment, his classmates selected him to write a history of the
class in the junior year. Towards the close of that year
he was selected by the faculty to deliver an oration at the

•470 MEN OF MARK.

junior exhibition, which was pronounced by the Provi-
dence Journal, a leading newspaper in Providence, Rhode
Island, "the ablest oration of the day " The impression
made upon his white classmates by his scholarship, his
orations and the "History " of the junior year, made him
a prominent candidate for the position of class orator at
the close of the senior year. Although a member of a class
of over fifty white students which contained many brilliant
young men of the best New England families, vet Inman
E. Page, the Negro, was unanimously chosen to fill the
position for which the ablest students were accustomed
to struggle every year. This was a triumph indeed. He
delivered an oration which attracted general attention,
not only because of the ability evinced, but also because
he was the first young man of color who had been selected
by white young men to wear such an honor. The subject
of the oration was the "Intellectual Prospects of Amer-
ica." While he was delivering his oration, Professor D.
W Phillips, now of the Roger Williams' University, Nash-
ville, Tennessee, was sitting in the audience. Soon after
the exercises were over he stepped up to him and offered
him a position in the Natchez Seminary, Natchez, Missis-
sippi. Air. Page graduated with the degree of A. B. in the
fall of 1877 and entered upon the duties of his position in
the Natchez Seminary, where he gave satisfaction to the
American Baptist Home Missionary Society, which em-
ployed him, and the colored people of Mississippi who
were interested in the institution. At the close of his
year's work he went to Providence, Rhode Island, where
he married Miss Zelia R. Ball, a young lady of fine prom-

INMAN EDWARD PAGE. 477

ise, who had graduated in 1875 from the Wilberforce Uni-
versity of Xenia, Ohio.

In 1878 he was employed as a teacher in the Lincoln Insti-
tute, Jefferson'City, Missouri. For two years he was the
only regular colored teacher in the institute, but at the
close of his second session the board of trustees decided.to
place the school in the hands of colored teachers, with
Mr. Page at its head. To those who thought the change
an experiment, there was no confirmation of their opinions,
nor were they made ashamed. Mr. Page succeeded in
raising the enrollment from ninety-seven to one hundred
and fifty-three the first year, and reduced the expenses to
students by introducing the "club system." He secured
appropriations from the Legislature with which to build
a dormitory for young men, costing seven thousand eight
hundred dollars, and one for young ladies costing nine
thousand dollars, and other appropriations aggregating
about three thousand dollars. He also secured bi-ennial
appropriations by his solicitations and addresses before
the Legislature from ten thousand to sixteen thousand
dollars.

In 1880 he received the degree of A. M. from his alma
mater, Brown University. In 1883 Mr. Page was made
president of a convention called to meet in Jefferson City
for the purpose of organizing a State teachers' association
in Missouri, and was afterwards elected president of the
association for three successive terms.

A Springfield paper, published by white men, speaking
of Mr. Page, says:

478 MEN OF MARK.

He is now onh' thirt3r-two years of age and ranks with the most
scholarly and cultivated men in Missouri, white or colored. Lincoln
Institute was never so prosperous as during his presidency. His ad-
dresses abound in happy hits and salutarj- advice to his race. Large
audiences are not only edified but captivated by his scholarly eloquence
and simplicity of speech. He carried in himself one of the finest illustra-
tions of what a thorough education can do for a colored man.

On the fifth of January last he was elected president of a
conference of leading citizens in Jefferson City for the pur-
pose of memorializing the Legislature for an industrial
school, and for more advanced educational facilities for the
colored youth of the State. In the summer of 1885 he
was invited to read a paper before the white teachers of
Missouri on the educational needs of the Negro in Missouri,
which made such a marked impression that he was unani-
mously elected an honorary member of their convention,
receiving a vote of thanks and a pledge that the association
would use its influence to promote the interest of Lincoln
Institute. At the recent teachers' association held in St.
Louis, P H. Murry, of the St. Louis Advance, paid him
the following compliment :

He succeeded in proving at this convention his eminent fitness, both in
culture and moral force, to preside over the educational interest of col-
ored youth of Missouri. Races do not produce great men in very rapid
succession. There may be many brilliant men, but with defects so ap-
parent that their brilliancy is overcast with a cloud, and men who are
possessed with native ability, can bring their culture, their moral char-
acter and habits of industry bravely to the front, side by side, and evenly
developed, have the elements of success and usefulness, which brilliancy
alone cannot secure. What the Negroes need among the educators of the
State is a man of deep convictions, high sense of duty, unswerving will
force and eminent culture ; a man whose presence commands respect, and
iuch a man we verily believe is Professor Page.

INMAN EDWARD PAGE. 479

I have known Professor Page for many years, and can
"bear personal testimony to his greatness of heart, to the
generosity of his feelings, and his deep sense of responsi-
bility to God. While a student in Howard University he
was converted and united with the Baptist church, with
which he has ever held pleasant relations ; his manly bear-
ing, dignified demeanor, and cultured mind bear rich
fruits, and his personal enthusiasm impresses those under
his care to such an extent that they cannot fail to become
useful citizens and prominent individuals. This, however,
can only be attained personally by those who have the
privilege as well as the honor to sit at his feet and have at
least a great blessing, and are considerably helped toward
the attainment of those things which befit them for useful
lives. But the best of men have their enemies, and Profes-
sor Page has had his trials like all men. The following,
taken from the Jefferson City Daily Tribune, is as fine an
indorsement as any man would need. It is an honorable
document and deserves a place here, arid it speaks more
eloquently than anything I might say :

The following testimonial of the regard and high esteem in which the
citizens of this place hold Professor I. E. Page, both as a private citizen
and the head of Lincoln Institute, should serve as an ample refutation
of all the false reports trumped up by mischievous and meddlesome people
to injure his standing and that of the school among the colored people
of the State :

"Inasmuch as certain false and injurious reports have been published
concerning the management of Lincoln Institute, and derogatory to the
high standing of Professor Page and wife, we, the undersigned, feel that
some testimonial is due the public in this regard, and cheerfully subscribe
lo the following facts :

" Professor Page and his wife have resided in this city eight years, and

'480 MEN OF MARK.

for six years the institute has heen under their management. During this
time the work of the school has been improving from year to year and
has been at all times better than under any former management.

"Professor Page has labored earnestly and with marked success for
the upbuilding of Lincoln Institute. He has extended the couse of study,
increased the attendance and secured from the State large sums of money
for the support of the school. He is an educator of ability and high in-
tellectual attainments, a gentleman of refined manners and a sincere and
earnest Christian, possessing at once the respect and good. will of the
best citizens of this city. We see no cause for complaint either against
Professor Page or his wife. Their influence has always been exerted
for the best interests of Lincoln Institute and the elevation of the col-
ored race.

NAMES.

"Arnold Krekel, president board of regents; L. C. Krauthoff, vice-
president board of regents; R. E. Young, M. D., board of regents; Oscar
G. Burch, board of regents ; Jesse W Henr}', board of regents ; W E.
Coleman, State superintendent public schools; W T. Carrington, editor
Missouri School Journal; Fred Rommel, J. S. Fleming, banker; A.
Brandeuberger, pharmaceutist; H. B. Church, merchant; J. A. Thomas,
George W. Dupee, G. Branham, Howard Barnes, A. McCreary, T. C.
Capleton, August Kroeger, deputy county clerk; \V. H. Lusk, clerk
Circuit Court, Cole count}'; Nelson C. Burch, attorney at law; John T.
Craven, merchant; Jacob J. Peets, Hiram King, Win. G. McCart}', post-
master; F. J. Fromme, Wm. W Wagner, sheriff of Cole cdu(ity ; \Y. Q.
Dallmeyer, Louis Wolferman, merchant; James Hines, Harry Collins. J.
M. Tompkins, C. A. Dixon, John A. Lindhardt, merchant; Archie Drake,
John Gordon, C. C. Branham, Henry Bolton, Harrison Ramsey, sr.,
board of trustees, A. M. E. church; W. H. Jackson, barber; Phil. T.
Millar, jr., D. D. S.; Warwick Winston, D. D. S.; Jas. E. McHenry, D. H.
Mclntyre, ex-attorney-general; Robert McCulloch, register of lands;
Prosser Ray, Nathan C. Kouns, O. W Gauss, pastor Presbyterian
church; Hugo Monnig, Rudolph Dallmeyer, C. B. Oldham, J. H.
Edwards, A. C. Shoup, R. E. Oldham, superintendent public school:
Thos. M. Cobb, pastor M. E. church; J. M. Hays, J. L. Moore,
J. W. Carter, C. W. Thomas, W W Hutchinson, S. W. Cox, H.
Xitchy, S. P. Lewis, pastor Baptist church ; John Delahay, John H.
Dirck, J. A. Thomas, G. A. Fisher, J. T. Thorpe, physician; P. T. Ellis,
L. C. Lohman, Jack Scott, H. M. Ramsey, jr., D. W Anthony.

INMAN E. PAGE.

E. K. LOVE. 48 1.

LXIV
REV E. K. LOVE.

From the Ditch to the Pastorate of Five Thousand Christians — Editor
of The Centennial Record of Georgia — Associate Editor — Honored
of God.

HE was reared a slave and had no educational advan-
tages before the Emancipation ; he worked on the
farm until 1870. He was born July 27, 1850, in Perry
county, near Marion, Alabama. Being very anxious for
an education he quit the farm at the time mentioned, and
in 1870 entered Lincoln University, Marion, Alabama.
After studying one term he reached the highest class ex-
cept one in the school. He found he had learned many
things imperfectly He left this school and returned to
the farm in 1872, and from that to ditching, accumulating
by this means enough money to leave home again ; there-
fore, November 17, 1872, he went to Augusta, Georgia,
where he entered the Augusta Institute, under the late
Rev. Joseph T Robert, D. D., LL. D. Previous to this he
was licensed to preach, and December 12, 1875, at Au-
gusta, Georgia, he was ordained. He was baptized into
the fellowship of the Siloam Baptist church by the Rev W
H. Mcintosh, for whom he had a great attachment. In

48'* MEN OF MARK.

the Augusta Institute he gained the front rank in his
classes ; he entered the lowest, but soon reached the head
of the first class which he led until he finished school in
1877 Under the auspices of the Home Mission Board of
New York and the Georgia Mission Society ; he was ap-
pointed missionary for the State of Georgia ; this position
he filled to the entire satisfaction of all concerned. July 1,
1879, he resigned and took charge of the First Baptist
church of Thomasville, Georgia. The house of worship
was repaired during his stay there, and four hundred and
fiftv persons baptized. October 1, 1881, he left this
church and accepted the missionary position of the State
of Georgia, under the auspices of the American Baptist
Publication Society This position he held for some time
and gave entire satisfaction. October 1, 1885, he resigned
and accepted the pastorate of the First African Baptist
church at Savannah, Georgia. Since he has held that
church he has baptized eight hundred and ninety-three
persons. This church numbers five thousand members.
He has held many positions of trust and honor among the
brethren of his State, has been an assistant teacher at one
time under Dr. Robert, and has taught three public
schools. He has been appointed editor of the Centennial
Record of the Negro Baptists of Georgia, which will be
read at their first centennial meeting in 1888. He is also
associate editor of the Georgia Sentinel, a Baptist paper
printed at Augusta, Georgia. He is considered an elo-
quent speaker and deep thinker ; has strong affections and
is certainly persistent in pressing his views. He has the
honor of holding perhaps the largest church in the United

E. K. LOVE. 483

States, and perhaps in the world. To be able to do this
great work is evidence conclusive of his possessing eminent
power over men. His position is one that makes him as
especially favored of God who has called him to this ex-
alted station.

484 MEN OF MARK.

LXV

J. A. ARNEAUX, ESQ.

Professional Tragedian, " Black Booth" — Editor — Poet — Graduate of the
French Institutions of Learning.

THE father of J. A. Arneaux was Jean Arneaux, a Par-
isian by birth. His mother was named Louisa Belle
before her marriage, and was of French descent. Young
Arneaux was born in the State of Georgia in 1855, and is
therefore only thirty-two jrears of age ; he is still a young
man and is destined to rise to a wonderful eminence in his
profession. He is following fast in the footsteps of the late
lamented Ira Aldridge, the great impersonator and remark-
able actor. He is of medium height, fair and handsome.
He often in a joke says he was born handsome, traded it
off for a fortune, and is now bankrupt of both. This is by
no means true. His manner is winning and his conversa-
tion learned, filled with wit and humor. He is an enthu-
siast in his profession, and as he has the material which
will develop greatness in any department of life, it would
be strange if he did not accomplish very much should life
be spared to him. His accent is slightly tinctured with a
flavor of French, and one would imagine himself in the
presence of a Frenchman who spoke English tolerably well.

J. A. ARNEAUX. 485

His movements are graceful and have the polish of a Par-
isian. No doubt he takes these qualities from his father
and inherits them from his mother's blood. He attracts
by his jovial good fellowship, but nevertheless is weighty in

.argument and as skilful with the pen as with the sword in
his masterpiece (Richard III). Losing his mother early in
life, when only twelve years of age, he lost the tender care
of her faithful hand and the tenderness of her love.

In 1865 he attended the first public school in his native
city where he only learned his a, b, c's ; next attended a
small private school where he learned the fundamental
branches. Then entering Beech Institute, he graduated

. after close application for four years. Then it occurred to
him to go North and seek a better education. His parents
had owned some property, but it had not yielded very
much, so he was forced to work and pay his own expenses.
In New York he was a student in German, Latin and other
kindred studies. Being ambitious, he next went to Prov-
idence, Rhode Island, where he entered Berlitz School of
Languages and mastered French.

While a school boy in the lower grades he had a reputa-
tion for special excellence in the English studies, and was a
good speller, easily mastering hard words which troubled

< others. His success was phenomenal at the Berlitz school,
for he secured the head of the class with ease, after only a
short time. He then visited Paris, and took two courses,
one in the Academic Royal Des Inscriptions et Belles Lettres
et Morals et Politique. On his way to New York return-
ing home, he stopped at London and saw many of the

; sights and scenes worthy of visitation. After much study

1-86 MEN OF MARK.

he appeared as a song and dance artist, and filled en-
gagements at the celebrated Tony Pastor's Metropolitan
theater on Broadway, New York, as well as at the old Globe
theater.

Mr Arneaux's first appearance in legitimate drama was
in 1876, at the Third Avenue theater, where he appeared
as Tom Walcott, a Southern planter, in a drama of Southern
life called "Under the Yoke, or Bond and Free." Although
he had read Shakespeare, it was not until the spring of
1884 he took to study for the stage. He began after being
repeatedly urged by a theatrical manager, with the char-
acter of Iago, in which he made his debut at the Brooklyn
Atheneum, June 17, 1884. The New York Daily News,
commenting on his acting, said :

Mr. J. A. Arneaux, as Iago, surprised even his most ardent admirers
with this difficult character to portray. He did what was his to do in a
manner which proves beyond question that he possesses a keen preception .
of the cunning and craft necessary to a faithful copy of the accomplished"
villain. The whole play was Iago, and Mr. Arneaux s interpretation the
best and truest in the entire cast.

Thus encouraged he formed the first Shakespearian
troupe of colored tragedians, now known to fame as the
Astor Place Tragedy company Under Mr. Arneaux's man-
agement this company appeared at several of the leading
theaters in the city, including the Academy of Music. But
it was not until 1885 that Mr. Arneaux's ambition was
triumphantly crowned, when he appeared for the first time
to advantage in Shakspeare's tragedy of Richard III. His
debut in Richard III was in a contest for a gold medal
given to amateurs for excellence by the New York Enter-

J. A. ARNEAUX. 487

prise. At this contest the prize was awarded to him by
the New York Sun, the newspaper men being judges upon
the occasion. His next appearance in Richard III was in
Providence, Rhode Island. Shortly after returning to New
York he was tendered a testimonial reception and a banquet
by the leading men and women of his race. In this testi-
monial he played Richard III and was Crowned by a com-
mittee of ladies with a wreath of laurels, and an address
was made in his behalf by an eminent professor.

On the twenty-ninth of last October, Mr. Arneaux ap-
peared in the Lexington Avenue opera house, and the fol-
lowing criticisms were made by prominent journalists. The
Baltimore, Maryland, Director, says :

We have seen him in the difficult role of the Duke of Gloster, we have
also seen Macready, Booth and Barrett in the same character, and we are
free to say that Mr. Arneaux's conception of the character, his superb
management of the part he assumed, were perfect.

The New York Clipper has said :

Mr. Arneaux is the rising star of the race.

The New York Sun said :

Mr. Arneaux scored success as Richard the Third and carried off the
prize :

"Mr. Arneaux," said the NewYork Daily News, "merits
the title of ' Black Booth.' " January 29, 1887, he played
to a most refined and elegant assembly of people in the
Academy of Music, in Philadelphia. The North American
gave the following criticism :

In his conception of the title role, Mr. J. A. Arneaux followed in
most respects that of the best of living exemplars of the part, Mr. Edwin

488 MEN OF MARK.

Booth, and he could not have taken a better model; but Mr. Arneaux is
evidenth- not satisfied with being a mere imitator, for there were certain
features both in his reading and in his manner that showed originality.
His walk, for instance, was something peculiarly his own, and if it ap-
parently lacked the silent dragging of the foot of the generally translated
morose and cruel Gloster, its rather flippant step was in accordance with
his well-sustained theory that Richard was a villain whose humors rap-
idly changed from wicked to jocose. It was in this spirit of merriment
that Mr. Arneaux made Richard take the audience in his confidence by a
lightness of phrasing after each of his gravest deeds that showed the
insincerity of Richard's good professions.

The idea is a novel one and most effective. The evenness of Mr.
Arneaux s performance, and his accurate recital of the lines, deserve great
praise and showed earnest and careful stud}-.

A correspondent of the Philadelphia Gazette and special
correspondent in Philadelphia for the Cleveland Gazette
said :

The most effective and artistic scene given by Mr. Arneaux was the
lovemaking with Lady Anne. In so passionate and natural a manner
did he portray Gloster's well-concealed subtilty in his declaration to
Lady Anne, and his supreme vanity upon his success in winning her,
with such skill and pleasing inflection, that his ability as an actor was
beyond question. But it was not until Richard was aroused from his
dream bv the terrifying visitations of the ghost of the murdered King
Henry, that the audience were made fully aware of the wonderful talents
of this brilliant young actor It is useless to go into detail of this scene;
suffice to say that his rendition of it stamped him a man of great
■promise.

Mr. Arneaux has been employed at different times as a
writer on the staff of the Sew York World, and is at this
time engaged in writing sketches of the leading editors and
educators for the Sunday edition of The New York Sun
and the Xcw York World. In 1884 he was employed upon

J. A. ARNEAUX.

J. A. ARNEAUX. 489

the last named journal, and resigned to take the associate
editorship of the Literary Enterprise. He soon became the
editor and changed the name to the New York Enterprise,
-when he became sole proprietor. His office was burned
out December 14, 1886, since which time the paper has been
suspended ; but while it was alive it was one of the best
rnd most ably conducted journals in the country In this
paper he advocated the total abolition of the word color,
and the substitution thereof of the word Africo-Ameri-
can, and has induced many to adopt this word in their edi-
torial work. He also advocated industrial schools, which
can be seen in a pamphlet read at the Sailors' and Soldiers'
Reunion, recently held at Dayton, Ohio. He Tso advo-
cated an African Historical Society for the purpose of
preserving the writings and deeds of the colored authors
and prominent persons in the race. He has written sev-
eral poems, one as a tribute to Wendell Phillips ; also an
epic poem upon General Grant at Appomatox. This poem
was the subject of a prize which was offered in a contest
among several young colored aspirants, and at the same
time secured much praise and comment for its rhetorical
composition as well as the subject matter. He has issued
a pamphlet of "Richard III," adapted for amateurs and
the drawing room. He entered and graduated from the
New York Grand Conservatory of Music and Elocution,
where he gave diligent and ardent study for the purpose
of completing his preparations for the stage. The future
of Mr Arneaux is in his own hands, and if he continues to
succeed, will yet immortalize himself and bring credit and
lionor to the race.

490 MEN OF MARK.

We attach here a correspondence which will explain
itself and show his immediate purpose :

MR. ARXEAl'X AND THE MANHATTAN LEAGUE.

J. A. Arneaux, Esrj. — Esteemed Sir: Being apprised of your intention
of retiring from the stage for a period of two years for the purpose of
studying — tlms equipping yourself thoroughly for your noble calling —
we, the undersigned members of the Board of Governors of the Man-
hattan League, beg to evince our appreciation for what you have
already accomplished and applaud your resolution by tendering you a
farewell testimonial and banquet and reception at any hall you may
designate and any time that will suit your convenience. And beg to
further request that you afford us the pleasure of witnessing upon the
same evening a performance of a part or the whole of your favorite
Shakespearean play. Hoping you may win your way to the realm of im-
mortal fame, we remain yours admiringly, Rufus Hurburt, chairman ;
Charles Brodie, secretary; C. R. Dorsey, J. E. Garner, W. Landrick,.
Frederick Banket.

New York, April 5.

To the Members of the Board of Governors of Manhattan League —

Rufus Hurburt, Chairman :

Dear Friends: — It affords me the greatest pleasure of my life to accept
the token of high esteem you so generously offer me, and hope ere my
race of life is ended to fully merit the bounteous honors you have be-
stowed upon me. I shall be pleased to have the testimonial take place at
Clarendon Hall on the evening of April 29, and, if it pleases your will,,
with the assistance of Messrs. Thomas T. Symmons, George Smith, J.
\V Harris and Misses Henrietta Vinton Davis and Bertie T. Toney, who.
have generously made a similar offer, render several of the most import-
ant scenes, including the last act of Shakespeare's tragedy of Macbeth..
Yours, with exalted fraternal regard,

J. A. Arneaux.
New York, April 6.

RICHARD ALLEN. 491

LXVI.

REV RICHARD ALLEN.

First Bishop of the A. M. E. Church— Founder of that Faith— An Emi-
nent Preacher — A Devout Man.

THE life and works of Richard Allen should now be
read with much interest on account of the follow-
ing notice that defines a very important epoch in the A.
M. E. church:

Episcopal Rooms, African M. E. Church,
No. 1424 R. I. Avenue,
Washington, District of Columbia, February 4, 1887.

To the Bishops, Ministers And Members of the African Methodist-
Episcopal Church:

My Dear Brethren: — "Read, mark, learn and inwardly digest" the
subject-matter of circular — the " Centennial of African Methodism." Its
contents are more than a mere passing interest. "Remember the days
of old ; consider the years of man3' generations : Ask your father, and he
will show thee ; thy elders, and they will tell thee. Remember all the
way which the Lord thy God led thee one hundred years in the wilder-
ness!"

Next November will be one hundred years since Richard Allen and his
compeers left St. George's M. E. church, in the city of Philadelphia,
(1787) and the bishops of the semi-annual meeting adopted the follow-
ing preamble and resolutions :

Whereas: November next, 1887, will be one hundred years since
Richard Al'en, Absalom Jones and others left the St. George's Metho-

492 MEN OF MARK.

dist Episcopal church in Philadelphia, because" the colored people belong-
ing to the Methodist Society of Philadelphia convened together in order
to take into consideration the evils under which they labored, arising
from unkind treatment of their white brethren, who considered them a
nuisance in the house of worship, and even pulled them off their knees,
while in the act of prayer, and ordered them to the back seats." (See
preface to the " A. M. E. Church Discipline.") And,

Whereas: This is the most decisive act of the . religious colored
people in the United States, and we know of none like it of the descend-
ants of Africa in the world; if we except the resolve of the Haitians
under Toussaint, Christophe Petiou and Boyer. These men were to
Hayti and San Domingo, in a civil and politicial sense, what Allen,
Jones, Tapsico and others were to the colored Christians of America ;
their act was manhood, freedom, and manhood Christianity. We must
fully recognize their action a success — a republic we have — all therefore
recognize their manhood because their acts prove it. To resist oppres-
sion in Church or State is manly Toussaint and Allen are by us hon-
ored, revered and loved. The success of Allen and his compeers is dem-
onstrated, for it has given us the largest colored organization in the
world. It is therefore proper and right that we should commemorate
an event so important and so full of interest to us as a race. Therefore
be it,

Resolved, first, That the chief pastors of the African Methodist Episco-
pal church request that next November, a date in that month be here-
after fixed, to commemorate the one hundredth year since our existence
commenced, and that services be held at all our churches throughout the
connection. The order of exercises to be fixed by each conference, quar-
terly conference, and pastor and each church. A general arrangement
to be fixed by a committee hereafter appointed.

Resolved, second, As our publishing interest has long suffered, because
of her indebtedness, that a contribution be made by all of our churches,
and whatever is collected to be appropriated to assist in the paying off
of debts now resting on our publication department

Adopted.

Committee of Arrangements.

J. M. Brown,
T. M. D. Ward,
H. M. Turner,
R. R. Disnev
B. W. Aknett

RICHARD ALLEN. 493

The growth of the A. M. E. church is a splendid tribute
to the Negro genius. Of all the denominations under the
name of " Methodist, " white or black, it has seemed to
have touched the heart of the Negro and made him a man
of power. Its institutions and laws are the result of
Negro genius, and is also the exhibition of his executive
ability and abundant wisdom.

When Richard Allen manifested his faith in the future
and declared himself no longer willing to have the body
and blood of Christ prostituted by being withheld from
him until his white brethren (?) were served, he put his
foot on the neck of hell-born prejudice and stamped it so
hard that hell resounded with anger and a new song was
given to the angels in heaven.

It was in the early days of 1816, when the times were
not favorable to the expression of a dissent from anything
a white man did in Church or State. And he is revered by
the African Methodist Episcopal church as the founder of
their faith. Says one of their scholarly writers :

If Luther was the apostle to mind freedom, and Wesley to soul freedom,
then Allen was the apostle of human freedom, or liberty of mind and
body. If Luther's motto was, " The just shall live by faith; " and Wes-
ley's, "The world is my parish;" Allen's was, "I perceive of a truth
that God is no respecter of persons." The sons of Allen, through Bishop
Payne, have formulated the sentiment of the three as follows : " God, our
Father: Christ, our Redeemder ; and Man, our Brother."

Many a time when a boy have I seen the tomb of Richard
Allen in the little railing in front of the " Big Bethel" in the
city of Philadelphia. This, the first church of the denomi-
nation, stands as a proud monument, to the religious zeal

494 MEN' OF MARK.

of Richard Allen. It stands on the site of an old black-
smith shop where the first meeting was held, and as the
generations pass this monument on the outside of the
church, and go within the walls of " Big Bethel " they feel
that Allen still lives. Often good "men's deeds are interred
with their bones," but in this noble man's career we see a
dignified manhood and religious zeal become the inspir-
ation of four hundred thousand of those who follow in his
footsteps. The Rev- B. W Arnett has, in a graphic descrip-
tion of the times which I give here, shown how great
was the cause for their separation from the white church •

The causes which led to the organization of the African M. E. church
are numerous ; but a few facts will give an idea of the principal reason
of our origin. After the close of the War of the Revolution, while the
world was rejoicing at the establishment of a government whose declared
principles were universal, political, civil and religious liberty, and while
they were singing the anthems of peace, there was another mighty con-
flict going on — not on the battlefield, with sabre and musket, but in the
churches and the social circles of the land. Prejudice, the unrelenting
enemy of the oppressed and weak, was asserting its power ; and from
the year 1787 to 1816, the conflict continued without cessation. The
colored portion of the numerous congregations of the North and South
were wronged, proscribed, ostracised and compelled to sit in the back
seats in the sanctuary of the Lord. The sons of toil and the daughters
of oppression remained on these seats for some time, hoping that some
of the members, at least, would receive a sufficient amount of grace to
enable them to treat these children of sorrow with Christian courtesy
But they were doomed to disappointment; for soon bad yielded to worse,
and the\- were sent up into the dusty galleries. There, high above the
congregation, they had to serve the Lord silently— for not an amen must
come down from the sable band. These and other indignities our fathers
bore with Christian patience for a number of years. They were denied
the communion of the Lord's Supper until all the white members had
partaken. This treatment continued until forbearance ceased to be a

RICHARD ALLEN. 495

"virtue, and our fathers drew out from among them ; for the watchfires
of soul-freedom were burning in their bosoms. These 'were kindled and
fed by the sentiments of the age in which they lived; .for on every side
could be heard the watchword of the Nation — "All men are born free
and equal, and endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights,
among which are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."

Allen was a man of independent character, and was con-
verted at the age of seventeen. His influence, though a
slave, was so great that his master allowed him to preach
and have preachers to preach for him, as he pleased. His
master was converted under his preaching, and yet I have
some doubt of his conversion, as he made poor slave
Richard Allen purchase his freedom. This man may have
been a Christian; "God, " who ' ' moves in a mysterious way, ' '
may have done something for his soul, but he took Allen's
money when he should have set him free. How they can
ever harmonize God's words with their conduct will take
a "general judgment " to tell. If for no other thing it were
needed, it will be good for that. However, he had three
able, honest men to stand by him : Rev. Absalom Jones,
William White and Downs Ginnings, and they determined
to erect a building for the colored people. Says an article
in the Christian Recorder :

This undertaking met with strong opposition from both white men in
the Saint George's M. E. church and prominent colored men, while some
of both classes encouraged him. Ministers of the M. E. church threat-
ened to disown him and his followers, but with much sagacity he told
them that if they turned him out otherwise than in accordance with dis-
cipline, he would seek redress. His own language is : "We are deter-
mined to seek out for ourselves, the Lord being our helper." He and his
friends narrated to these brethren of the M. E. church the especial griev-
ances suffered in their communion (?) He also told them : "Ifyoudenyus

496 MEN OF MARK.

your name (Methodist), you cannot seal up the Scripture from us or deny
us a name in heaven. We believe heaven is free for all who worship in
spirit and truth."

With manly dignity and a clear indication that he knew
he was cutting loose entirely from a great body of people,
believing as he did on religious doctrines, he said, when told
finally that he would be disowned : ' ' This was a trial I never
had to pass through, but I was confident that the great
Head of the church would support us." He states that on
the first day he and Absalom Jones canvassed for money
with which to purchase. They raised three hundred and
sixtv dollars after he had been authorized by the commit-
tee. He bought a lot on Sixth street, near Lombard, the
site of the present Bethel church, Philadelphia. The com-
mittee agreed to purchase a lot on Fifth street and threw
the Bethel lot on his hands. Having the true grit of man-
hood in his moral constitution, he said : "I would rather
keep it myself than forfeit the agreement I have made."
This he did. He says :

As I was the first proposer for an African church, I put the first spade
into the ground to dig the cellar (basement) for the same. The old black-
smith shop was made a temple in which to worship God. On canvassing
the little society it was found that a majority preferred joining the
Church of England, rather than force themselves upon the Methodist
Episcopal society, by which they considered themselves badly treated.
But Allen was a Methodist, and though but one other member of the
society agreed with him, he stuck to the old church, again showing the
true metal for a leader of the.colored Americans.

Richard Allen was born in Philadelphia in 1760. At sev-
enteen he united with the Methodist society in the State of
Delaware. At twenty-two he commenced preaching, and

RICHARD ALLEN. 497

traveled through the Middle States extensively. He was,
ordained a deacon in 1799, by Rt. Rev Francis Ashbury,
bishop of the Methodist church. At the organization of
the A. M. E. church, A. D. 1816, he was elected and
ordained the first African bishop in America. The follow-
ing names were enrolled in the first conference held on this
occasion :

Rev Richard Allen, Jacob Tapisco, Clayton Durham,
James Champion, Thomas Webster, of Philadelphia, Penn-
sylvania ; Daniel Coker, Richard Williams, Henry Hardin,
Stephen Hill, Edward Williamson, Nicholas Gailliard, of
Baltimore, Maryland ; Peter Spencer, of Wilmington, Del-
aware ; Jacob March, Edward Jackson, William Andrews,
of Attleboro, Pennsylvania; Peter Cuff, Salem, New-
Jersey.

These men had faith in God and faith in themselves, and
the splendid results of this day show that they did not
miscalculate their calling. The power of this denomination
is felt in the land ; its leaders are courageous, bold and in-
telligent, and it has some of the ablest men in the country
in its ranks. Mj' personal relations with them have been of
the warmest kind, and I give them credit for utilizing every
man they can lay hold on, and they know how to nurse
their young eaglets into strong eagles, and to put their best
eftorts at work for the spreading of their views.

*9S MEN OF MARK.

CHAPTER LXYIL
HON. SAMUEL ALLEN McELWEE, A. B.,LL. B.

Lawyer — Legislator — President of the Tennessee Fair Association —
Orator — Speech in the Legislature on Mobs.

IT is wonderful how easy some men rise in the world and
how hard others struggle to accomplish the same
ends. Every step with some seems marked with bitter
trials; severe hardships and apparently insurmountable
•difficulties ; but when at last the goal has been attained
the prize seems ever so sweet — aye, sweeter than it could
possibly be without the conflicts and discouragements.
Samuel Allen McElwee is a brave soul, who can wear on
his forehead ad astra per aspera "through difficulties to
the stars. " The chains of slavery bound his bodv not
half so tightly as ignorance his mind. Already his voice
holds the Tennessee Legislature with fixed attention while
he defends his race and advocates the bettering of their
condition. When the war ended he could not read. His
father moved from Madison county, Tennessee, to Hey-
wood county, Tennessee, in 1866. He was a farmer boy
for many years, going to school only three months in the
year ; yet the boy studied till midnight, burning patiently
the light which would give him opportunity to read, and

SAMUEL ALLEN M'ELWEE. 499

'which in after years gave him a brighter light whereby he
might see the condition of his race and find a remedy for
their many ills. Though worn with the daily toils, he
sever neglected his studies, and at each examination day
entered with his class and passed the test, from the year
1868 until 1874. He then taught school awhile. He
■often tells how at the time he had been influenced by the
National Era, Fred Douglass' paper, and how a thirst
entered his soul for more education. He matriculated at
Oberlin and waited on the table, picked currants and
^washed windows for his board. He then went to Missis-
sippi at the end of that year, where he taught school for
five years. After that he secured a school in Alabama for
a time, and on one occasion, failing to secure employment,
walked thirty miles to secure a school in Tennessee. He
was often without money and even a place to sleep. Still
anxious to get means for returning to college, he com-
menced selling Lyman's Historical Charts, Bibles and
medicines, from which he became known as a great "Chill
Doctor." He, however, could not return to school, and
determined to study Latin, German and algebra under a
a private teacher. After teaching a very large school in
the day, he would walk ten miles two nights in the week
to recite to a white student at Vanderbilt University, and
if this effort meets some young man's eyes it is sincerely
hoped that he will make the same effort as young Mc-
Elwee. Victory awaits the daring, and reward always
follows the persevering. His story of privations and
sufferings, of the long tramps, selling maps, and his zeal
for books so weighed upon the student teacher's mind

500 MEN OF MARK.

that he told the president of Fisk University of the ambiti-
ous boy. He was invited by the president to enter the
university After one year in the senior preparatory class,
for which he found himself prepared, he entered college and
graduated thence May 26, 1883.

June 30, 1887, Mr McElwee will only be twenty-nine
years old, and yet he seems a natural born politician,
having canvassed his county every year save one since
he was fourteen years of age. In the campaign of
1882 he traveled over the Eighth and Ninth congres-
sional districts for the Republican party, advocating
a just settlement of the State debt. He took his
seat in the Tennessee Legislature, January 1, 1883,
while he was still a student. He has just completed his
third term. He studied law in the Central Tennessee
College in Nashville, and graduated thence in 1885. He
was a delegate to the Chicago convention which nom-
inated Hon. James G. Blaine, and with six others voted for
him on every ballot. In the Republican State convention
of 1886 he was elected temporary chairman. Mr. Mc-
Elwee takes a deep interest in the moral, social and in-
dustrial future of his people, and is president of the West
Tennessee Colored Fair Association and the Memphis Fair
Association. He was a commissioner in the colored
department of the New Orleans Exposition, placing his
State in a very favorable attitude. Mr. McElwee is a
very magnetic speaker, forcible debater and indefatigable
worker, a manly man and a truly honest citizen. Under
the caption of a "Remarkable Record," this was written

SAMUEL ALLEN m'ELWEE. 501

"by a Kentucky editor after hearing him deliver a party
speech in Hopkins ville, Kentucky:

A biographical sketch of this gentleman reads like a romance. No
•colored man in the South ever rose as rapidly upon the rounds of the
ladder of fame. In 1879, Mr. McElwee was an ignorant, friendless col-
ored tramp, going over the country, disposing of maps and charts in
order to put bread in his mouth, and keep body and soul together. In
the summer of the year above mentioned he tramped from Hopkinsville
to Nashville, a distance of seventy-two miles in three days, in order to
attend school. He was elected to the Tennessee Legislature in 1882
without opposition, and was successful in having a bill passed appropri-
ating sixty-six hundred dollars towards further protection, progress and
prosperity of the Normal school. In 1884 he was again elected his own
successor, beating his opponent, Mr. H. C. Nolan, a popular white Dem-
ocrat, by a large majority. It was in this last session of the Legisla-
ture that this able colored man fought a hard and successful battle in
passing a bill appropriating eighty-five thousand dollars to the West
Tennessee Insane Asylum, and also fifty-five hundred dollars to the Deaf
and Dumb Institution. He is a brilliant conversationalist and eloquent
political orator; his countenance is pleasing and intellectual and the for-
mation of his head favorable to the belief that he possesses a phrenolog-
ical development of a very superior character; the dogmas of philosophy
and crudities of theology are impaled by his humor, and his wit is so
boundless that it crops out often in his more serious utterances.

A man's associates can generally give good testimony
as to his standing, so we quote a speech of R. R. Butler,
who was selected by the Republicans of the Legislature
to nominate Mr. McElwee for Speaker of the House of
Representatives of the State of Tennessee during his